Scientists have long attempted to create new allotropes (forms) of carbon due to their versatility and utility in industry. However, so far, only limited success has been achieved. That is about to change. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States have successfully synthesized graphyne, a long-hypothesized “next-generation wonder material.” Graphyne is a carbon allotrope that is similar to graphene, which is highly valued by industry. In fact, graphene research was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Despite decades of work and theorizing, scientists were only able to create a few fragments until now.
Traditional chemistry methods were used to create carbon allotropes such as graphene and fullerene. However, these methods do not allow for the large-scale synthesis of different forms of carbon required for graphyne. Wei Zhang, a chemistry professor at CU Boulder, then decided to give it a shot. Zhang is interested in reversible chemistry, which allows bonds to self-correct, allowing the formation of novel ordered structures.
The researchers were able to create a material with the conductivity of graphene but with control by using a process called alkyne metathesis, as well as thermodynamics and kinetic control. “There’s a big difference (between graphene and graphyne), but it’s a good difference,” Zhang said. “This has the potential to be the next generation of a wonder material.” That is why everyone is so excited.”
Scientists believe the groundbreaking research will open up new avenues for research in electronics, optics, and semiconducting materials. The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Nature Synthesis.
“The entire audience, the entire field, is really excited that this long-standing problem, or this imaginary material, is finally being realized,” Yiming Hu, lead author on the paper and PhD student in Zhang’s lab group, said in a university statement. The researchers now want to dig deeper into this material, including how to make it on a large scale.
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