Application of higher diamondoids within and outside of the petroleum industry
At a Glance
Section titled âAt a Glanceâ| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2022-08-15 |
| Journal | Second International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy |
| Authors | Jeremy Dahl, J. Michael Moldowan, Robert M. K. Carlson |
Abstract
Section titled âAbstractââHigher diamondoidsâ are diamondoids consisting of four or more face-fused, interlocking cages. Unlike the lower diamondoids adamantane, diamantane and triamantane, they have multiple structural forms. For instance while there is only one way to interlock three diamond cages to form triamantane, four different structures with different shapes can be formed from four cages and there are 39 ways to combine six carbon cages. Furthermore, in comparison to lower diamondoids, higher diamondoids are extremely difficult to synthesize. Until their recent discovery and isolation, with the exception of one of the tetramantanes, higher diamondoids existed only theoretically, predominantly in the minds of scientists interested in using them for nanotechnology applications. This interest was precipitated by the extreme and unique properties of bulk diamond including hardness, toughness, extreme thermal conductivity, ability to be doped to form a semi-conductor, optical properties and negative electron affinity.