For over a decade, scientists have been trying to synthesise a new form of carbon called graphyne with next to no success. But researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have finally succeeded in creating the elusive allotrope of carbon. This research fills a long-standing gap in carbon material science and opens up brand new possibilities for electronics, optics and semiconductor research.
The researchers have documented their process in a study titled, “Synthesis of γ-graphyne using dynamic covalent chemistry,” published in Nature Synthesis. The creation of different carbon allotropes (forms) has long interested scientists because of the element’s versatility and usefulness in various industries.
Carbon allotropes can be constructed in different ways depending on how hybrids of carbons and their corresponding bonds are utilised. The most well known such allotropes include graphite used in pencil and diamonds. They are created out of ‘sp2’ carbon and ‘sp3’ carbon respectively.
The team used a process called alkyne metathesis along with thermodynamics and kinetic control to create a new kind of material that could rival the conductivity of graphene, but with control. Alkyne Metathesis refers to an organic reaction that involves the redistribution (cutting and forming) of alkyne chemical bonds. Alkynes are hydrocarbons with at least one carbon-carbon triple covalent bond.
For over a decade, scientists have been trying to synthesise a new form of carbon called graphyne with next to no success. But researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have finally succeeded in creating the elusive allotrope of carbon. This research fills a long-standing gap in carbon material science and opens up brand new possibilities for electronics, optics and semiconductor research.
The researchers have documented their process in a study titled, “Synthesis of γ-graphyne using dynamic covalent chemistry,” published in Nature Synthesis. The creation of different carbon allotropes (forms) has long interested scientists because of the element’s versatility and usefulness in various industries.
Carbon allotropes can be constructed in different ways depending on how hybrids of carbons and their corresponding bonds are utilised. The most well known such allotropes include graphite used in pencil and diamonds. They are created out of ‘sp2’ carbon and ‘sp3’ carbon respectively.
For over a decade, scientists have been trying to synthesise a new form of carbon called graphyne with next to no success. But researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have finally succeeded in creating the elusive allotrope of carbon. This research fills a long-standing gap in carbon material science and opens up brand new possibilities for electronics, optics and semiconductor research.
The researchers have documented their process in a study titled, “Synthesis of γ-graphyne using dynamic covalent chemistry,” published in Nature Synthesis. The creation of different carbon allotropes (forms) has long interested scientists because of the element’s versatility and usefulness in various industries.
Carbon allotropes can be constructed in different ways depending on how hybrids of carbons and their corresponding bonds are utilised. The most well known such allotropes include graphite used in pencil and diamonds. They are created out of ‘sp2’ carbon and ‘sp3’ carbon respectively.
The material has successfully been created. But the team still needs to look into many more details, including how to create it on a large scale and how to manipulate it for various different use cases. These efforts will help figure out more of the material’s electrical and optical properties, allowing it to be used in applications like lithium-ion batteries.
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