Amorphous state ofsp²solid 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,sp(3)andsp(2)amorphous carbons are two different species characterized by conceptually different short-range orders, namely, groups of tetrahedrally bondedsp(3)configured atoms and nanoscale size-restrictedsp(2)graphene domains framed with heteroatom necklaces. Molecular character ofsp(2)amorphics is provided with chemical reactions accompanying the solids amorphization in due course of the enforced fragmentation.