Theoretical pentadiamond outshines the original
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2020-07-06 |
| Journal | C&EN Global Enterprise |
| Authors | Sam Lemonickļ»æ |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāDiamonds may be forever, but that doesnāt mean theyāre the only game in town. Researchers Yasumaru Fujii, Mina Maruyama, and colleagues at the University of Tsukuba have made computer models of a new 3-D carbon structure they call pentadiamond whose properties promise to outshine those of the original material (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2020, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.016001). Unlike a typical diamond, in which every carbon is bonded to four other carbons, a pentadiamond has a mix of carbons bound to three and four other carbons. These form a network of five-membered carbon ringsāhence the name pentadiamond. Using density functional theory calculations, the scientists calculated that, if it can be made, a pentadiamond should be stiffer than a standard diamond. They also predict it has better semiconductor properties than diamonds, possibly making it useful in electronics, like displays. And because a pentadiamondās crystal structure has larger cavities than a standard diamondās, the new