Newest Form Of Carbon Is ‘Grossly Warped’

Chemists have synthesized “grossly warped nanographene”, a new form of carbon with 80 carbon atoms joined together in a network of 26 rings.

Asian Scientist (Jul. 16, 2013) – Chemists have synthesized the first example of a new form of carbon: nanocarbon molecules comprising multiple identical pieces of “grossly warped graphene”.

This new material, known as “grossly warped nanographene”, was described in a paper published in Nature Chemistry. Each molecule, which measures slightly more than one nanometer across, contains exactly 80 carbon atoms joined together in a network of 26 rings, with 30 hydrogen atoms decorating the rim.

Until recently, scientists had identified only two forms of pure carbon: diamond and graphite. Then in 1985, chemists were stunned by the discovery that carbon atoms could also join together to form hollow balls, known as fullerenes.

Since then, scientists have also learned how to make long, ultra-thin, hollow tubes of carbon atoms, known as carbon nanotubes, and large flat single sheets of carbon atoms, known as graphene.

The co-discoverers of fullerenes shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 while in 2010, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the preparation of graphene.

Graphene sheets prefer planar, 2-dimensional geometries as a consequence of the hexagonal, chicken wire-like, arrangements of trigonal carbon atoms comprising their two-dimensional networks.

The new form of carbon, however, is wildly distorted from planarity as a consequence of the presence of five 7-membered rings and one 5-membered ring embedded in the hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms.

According to the researchers, odd-membered-ring defects such as these not only “warp” the sheets of atoms, they also alter the physical, optical, and electronic properties of the material.

“Our new grossly warped nanographene is dramatically more soluble than a planar nanographene of comparable size and the two differ significantly in color, as well,” said Professor Lawrence T. Scott, a leader of the research team.

“Electrochemical measurements revealed that the planar and the warped nanographenes are equally easily oxidized, but the warped nanographene is more difficult to reduce.”

Graphene has been highly touted as a revolutionary material for nanoscale electronics. Through their work, the researchers have demonstrated that the electronic properties of graphene can be modified in a predictable manner through precisely controlled chemical synthesis.

The article can be found at: Kawasumi et al. (2013) A Grossly Warped Nanographene And The Consequences Of Multiple Odd-Membered-Ring Defects.

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Source: Boston College; Photo: zhouxuan12345678/Flickr.
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