Poly(hydridocarbyne)

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| Name = Poly(hydridocarbyne)

| ImageFile = phc.png

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| Section2 = {{Chembox Properties

| Formula = [HC]n

| MolarMass = 200,000 to 100 million daltons

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| MeltingPt = decomposes @ 100 °C

| BoilingPt = N/A

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Poly(hydridocarbyne) (PHC) is one of a class of carbon-based random network polymers primarily composed of tetrahedrally hybridized carbon atoms, each having one hydride substituent, exhibiting the generic formula [HC]n. PHC is made from bromoform, a liquid halocarbon that is commercially manufactured from methane. At room temperature, poly(hydridocarbyne) is a dark brown powder. It can be easily dissolved in a number of solvents (tetrahydrofuran, ether, toluene etc.), forming a colloidal suspension that is clear and non-viscous, which may then be deposited as a film or coating on various substrates. Upon thermolysis in argon at atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 110 °C to 1000 °C, decomposition of poly(hydridocarbyne) results in hexagonal diamond (lonsdaleite).

More recently poly(hydridocarbyne) has been synthesized by a much simpler method using electrolysis of chloroform (May 2008){{cite journal |vauthors=Toppare L, etal | date=May 2008| title=Facile Synthesis of Poly(hydridocarbyne): A Precursor to Diamond and Diamond-like Ceramics |journal=Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A |volume = 45 |issue = 5|pages=358–363 |doi=10.1080/10601320801946108| s2cid=93635541|hdl=11511/40747 |hdl-access=free }} and hexachloroethane (June 2009).{{cite journal |vauthors=Toppare L, etal | date=June 2009| title=Electrochemical polymerizatıon of hexachloroethane to form poly(hydridocarbyne): a pre-ceramic polymer for diamond production|journal=Journal of Materials Science|volume=44|issue=11|pages=2774–2779|doi=10.1007/s10853-009-3364-4| bibcode=2009JMatS..44.2774N| s2cid=97604277|hdl=11511/38087|hdl-access=free}}

The novelty of PHC (and its related polymer poly(methylsilyne)) is that the polymer may be readily fabricated into various forms (e.g. films, fibers, plates) and then thermolyzed into a final hexagonal diamond ceramic.