Amorphous state of sp2 solid carbon

Two-mode valence electron configuration of carbon atoms lays the foundation of the unique two-mode amorphous state of the carbon solid. From the fundamentals of solid-state physics, sp3 and sp2 amorphous carbons are two different species characterized by conceptually different short-range orders, namely, groups of tetrahedrally bonded sp3 configured atoms and nanoscale size-restricted sp2 graphene domains framed with heteroatom necklaces. Molecular character of sp2 amorphics is provided with chemical reactions accompanying the solids amorphization in due course of the enforced fragmentation. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.