Oriented N₂ molecules intercalated in C₂₄Rb

The intercalation of N₂ molecules in C₂₄Rb (prepared from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) was studied using the nuclear-resonance photon scattering (NRPS) technique. It was found that nitrogen is intercalated in a molecular form with its molecular symmetry axis parallel to the graphene planes of the C₂₄Rb and that this process occurs even at 296 K; the physintercalated amount of gas increases with increasing external pressure of the gas. The present work may also be viewed as a relatively simple method for preparing samples of molecular N₂ at T≤296 K aligned with their molecular axes parallel to the graphene planes.