Nature

572 , 426 (2019) ||

Elusive 18-atom ‘cyclocarbon’ could be a step towards molecule-scale transistors.









Elusive 18-atom ‘cyclocarbon’ could be a step towards molecule-scale transistors.

Long after most chemists had given up trying, a team of researchers has synthesized the first ring-shaped molecule of pure carbon — a circle of 18 atoms.





A 3D-image of the carbon-18

molecule made with an atomic

force microscope (AFM)

The chemists started with a triangular molecule of carbon and oxygen, which they manipulated with electric currents to create the carbon-18 ring. Initial studies of the properties of the molecule, called a cyclocarbon, suggest that it acts as a semiconductor, which could make similar straight carbon chains useful as molecular-scale electronic components.

👉👉 Chemist make first-ever ring of pure carbon PDF file also available