【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】A ring carbon structure composed of 48 carbon atoms has been developed

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According to China Science News, scientists have successfully synthesized a new all-carbon molecule—cyclo[48]carbon (C48). This is the second all-carbon molecule that can be studied at room temperature, following the synthesis of fullerene (C60) 35 years ago. This breakthrough could provide highly efficient materials for the next generation of electronic and quantum technologies. The related study was published in Science on August 14. Buckyballs are molecules composed of rings of carbon atoms, such as fullerenes and nanotubes; they can exhibit strange chemical behaviors or conduct electricity in unusual ways. However, cyclocarbons are extremely fragile and unstable, prone to decomposition, and may even explode under certain conditions. Generally speaking, cyclocarbons can only be maintained for a sufficient length of time under extremely harsh conditions, making it difficult to conduct in-depth research on them. To overcome this challenge, Harry Anderson and his colleagues at the University of Oxford in the UK used catenane structures to find a way to keep it stable at room temperature, and demonstrated this on a new molecule called C48. C48 is a ring composed of 48 carbon atoms. Anderson and colleagues added a \"buffer\" to C48, by having it pass through 3 smaller rings, so that the 48 carbon atoms do not collide with each other or with other molecules. This new structure, known as a cyclo[48]carbon[4]catene hydrocarbon, is stable enough to last for about two days, allowing researchers to study C48 in detail for the first time. This new method for stabilizing cyclic carbon will help other researchers study such peculiar molecules. Interestingly, the 48 carbon atoms of C48 are arranged as if they were on an infinite chain; theoretically, this structure enables charge to be transferred from one atom to the next indefinitely. This electrical conductivity potential suggests that ring carbons can be used in the development of a range of next-generation technologies, including transistors, solar cells, semiconductors, and quantum devices. However, further research is needed to confirm this. “A competition might be about to start. We can regard this long ring as a stepping stone for creating infinite chains. ”Max von Delius of the University of Ulm in Germany said that single-carbon molecular chains are more suitable as conductors than cyclic C48, and this will be the real next step to take.