Pressure-induced polymerization of nano- and submicrometer C60 rods into a rhombohedral phase

C60 rods with nano- and submicrometer dimensions were polymerized at 4.5 GPa and 973 K. Raman spectroscopy showed that the material transformed into a rhombohedral polymeric structure under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) conditions. The HPHT polymerized samples keep the original rod shape. The position dependence of photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been studied on the rhombohedral polymer C60 rods at room temperature. The intensity of the 1.74 eV peak from the rhombohedral phase varies systematically between the edge of and the middle of the rod. Our results indicate that the 1.74 eV peak originates from surface defects.