The intrinsic competition among multiple charge transfer (CT) pathways in copper-phenylacetylide (PhC₂Cu) has hindered the desirable development of its photoactive properties, whereas substantial spectral and temporal overlap among these pathways has obscured direct mechanistic understanding. Herein, hydrostatic pressure was employed as a clean and reversible external stimulus to continuously compress the one-dimensional Cu(I)–Cu(I) ladder in pristine PhC₂Cu without modifying its chemical composition. In situ high-pressure photoluminescence and transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy reveal a pressure-induced evolution of CT from copper to the acetylide carbon. High-pressure crystallographic analysis and X-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements (XANES) demonstrate that anisotropic contraction of the Cu(I) ladder reconstructs the copper coordination environment and consequently modulates the relative contributions of metal-to-ligand CT pathways. These structure-dependent electronic dynamics provide direct insight into the CT mechanism of PhC₂Cu and establish hydrostatic pressure as a general and non-destructive strategy for investigating CT processes in one-dimensional (1D) coordination compounds.

Since the successful synthesis of bulk sp³ amorphous carbon in 2021, this material has attracted considerable attention owing to its ultrahigh hardness, mechanical isotropy, potential for shaping and machining, and distinctive electronic structure. These features make it a promising candidate for applications in ultra-precision machining and optoelectronic detection. Recent studies have mainly focused on the formation mechanism, thermodynamic stability, structural and property regulation, and synthesis process optimization of sp³ amorphous carbon materials derived from fullerenes under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. These studies have not only deepened the understanding of the formation mechanism of sp³ amorphous carbon, but also promoted the further development of its functional applications. This review systematically summarizes the relevant research progress and discusses future key directions, including the large-size and high-quality synthesis, precision shaping, and functional application expansion of sp³ amorphous carbon.