  Icy mantles of benzonitrile, an aromatic with a cyanide side chain that has
recently been detected in the interstellar medium, were subjected to vacuum
ultraviolet photon irradiation and found to form a residue. The residue was
removed from the substrate and placed on a Quantifoil grid for electron
microscopy analysis. Transmission electron microscopy showed Quantum Dot (QD)
and Nitrogen-doped Graphene (N-Graphene) sheets. Diffraction and Energy
Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy revealed the crystalline nature and
carbon-nitrogen composition, of the observed graphene sheet. This is the first
result showing QD and N-Graphene synthesis in ice irradiation at interstellar
temperatures.
