Polymeric nitrogen in a graphene matrix: An ab initio study

A hybrid material where polymeric nitrogen chains are sandwiched between graphene sheets in the form of a three-dimensional crystal, is predicted by means of ab initio simulations. It is demonstrated that chainlike polymeric nitrogen phase becomes stable at ambient pressure when intercalated in a multilayer graphene matrix. The physical origin of this stabilization is identified by studying the electronic properties of the system. This approach of stabilizing polymeric nitrogen by means of external three-dimensional matrix constitutes a path toward synthesizing different types of nitrogen-based high-energy materials.