Jon Evans at Chemistry World reports that scientists in China have proposed the existence of a novel 2D allotrope of carbon made up of pentagons, which they have dubbed ‘penta-graphene’. Like graphene, penta-graphene consists of an atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms, but the atoms are arranged in a repeated pentagon pattern, potentially giving it some intriguing and useful physical properties.
In conventional graphene, the carbon atoms make a repeated hexagon pattern like chicken wire. Spherical C60 buckyballs are made up of both hexagons and pentagons, but scientists have so far only been able to synthesise a single carbon nanomaterial made exclusively of pentagons, in the form of a C20 cage. Nevertheless, this does raise the possibility of making other pentagon-based allotropes.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science - Penta-graphene: A new carbon allotrope
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In conventional graphene, the carbon atoms make a repeated hexagon pattern like chicken wire. Spherical C60 buckyballs are made up of both hexagons and pentagons, but scientists have so far only been able to synthesise a single carbon nanomaterial made exclusively of pentagons, in the form of a C20 cage. Nevertheless, this does raise the possibility of making other pentagon-based allotropes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science - Penta-graphene: A new carbon allotrope
Read more »
