Nanosecond-pulsed spark discharge plasma in liquid nitrogen: synthesis of polynitrogen from NaN₃

Nanosecond-pulsed plasma ignited in liquid nitrogen is a unique tool for the synthesis of unconventional materials due to a combination of energetic properties of the discharge itself (high densities of reactive species, pressures and radiation) with the low temperature of the surrounding dense liquid. Here, we report on applications of such plasma for synthesis of a polymeric nitrogen compound, preliminarily identified as neutral or ionic N₆, from sodium azide precursors. (paper)