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Scientists In China Predict Pentagonal Graphene

Posted by Soulskill on from the five-sides-to-every-story dept.

TechkNighT_1337 writes: Chinese scientists made calculations and predict that a new 2D allotrope of carbon based in a pentagonal form resembling a common pavement in the streets of Cairo can be synthesized. They call this new form penta-graphene. From the announcement in the Chemistry World, they say: "The team found that not only should a pentagon-containing version of graphene be fairly stable, it should also be stronger than conventional graphene and be able to withstand higher temperatures, up to 730C. It would also be a natural semiconductor, unlike conventional graphene, which is a highly efficient conductor and has to be chemically modified to turn it into a semiconductor."

16 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. So.. by steveb3210 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where's my space elevator!?

    1. Re:So.. by Rational · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Right alongside heavier-than-air flight.

      --
      "Be nice, veer left, and never stop thinking" Iain Banks - Walking On Glass
  2. Hexagonal Graphene by MooseTick · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let me be the first to predict Hexagonal Graphene.

    While I'm at it, I'd like to also predict the following:
    A sequel to 50 Shades
    Future tension in the middle east
    Hershey's coming out with a white chocolate syrup
    Taco Bell being the only survivor of the restaurant wars
    Facebook to soon cause an uproar due to a perceived privacy violation

    --
    Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
    1. Re:Hexagonal Graphene by slew · · Score: 2

      Let me be the first to predict Hexagonal Graphene.

      Actually typical graphene is already a hexagonal lattice...

      However, you might put your money on a square lattice (aka quadrille) or perhaps triangular lattice or the others listed here...

      But instead of a boring quadrile or pentagonal tiling, let me be the first to predict a Penrose tiling... Now that would be cool ;^)

    2. Re:Hexagonal Graphene by slew · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You know they changed it right because Pizza Hut paid them a pile of cash? Anyone who goes along with the change to Pizza Hut from Taco Bell is an asshole. It doesn't even make sense because some scenes still show the Taco Bell logo.

      Your theory doesn't take in to consideration Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are part of the same company (was PepsiCo at the time of filming now Yum! Brands) and Pizza Hut and Taco Bell even have co-located in some stores (although there are other combinations like KFC/PizzaHut and KFC/TacoBell).

      The commonly accepted rationale is that Taco Bell is mainly just a US brand and since PepsiCCo paid for the product placement originally, they wanted to substitute one of their well known international brands for the international release of the movie to get more advertising mileage out of the placement...

      But PepsiCo probably had to pay for the change, and of course they did a crappy job of executing the change...

    3. Re:Hexagonal Graphene by Blaskowicz · · Score: 2

      It's simply that in Europe we don't know what Taco Bell is at all, more so when the film was released - since then I read about Taco Bell in slashdot comments and such. Same with "Doritos", "Mountain Dew" and such : I never ate or drank or even saw one of these.

  3. Do some bloody editing, editors by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    based in a pentagonal form

    "Based on" would be better, but still wouldn't be right. Molecule shapes aren't really "based on" anything, they just look like things sometimes.

    resembling an common pavement

    "An/a" aside, what's a "common pavement"?

    in the streets of Ccairo

    That's the c-capital of Egypt, right?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  4. Where is Ccairo? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 2

    I have never heard of that place.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  5. I predict by NEDHead · · Score: 2

    A graphene technology writing instrument

    1. Re:I predict by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

      It might if you add a built-in deletion module

  6. Next in News by Culture20 · · Score: 2

    Apple decides to make the screws for the iPhone 7 out of pentagonal graphene.

  7. Re:Higher temperature?!?!?! by feranick · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yes. Graphene does not "melt". it sublimates at very high temperatures. That's why graphite crucibles are used in foundries.

  8. New Unobtanium ? by Crashmarik · · Score: 2

    It would be great if we could actually get enough graphene of any sort for industrial apps

  9. Re:Higher temperature?!?!?! by srmalloy · · Score: 2

    730C for this pentagonal graphene seems much lower, which also suggests a much lower stability.

    You can see that from the molecular diagram. Look at the way carbon-carbon bonds form in molecules, and what this does to the geometry of the molecule. By themselves, the bonds would 'spread out' until evenly separated in angle. In the pentagonal arrangement, the angles between bonds are not distributed evenly, which means that there is more energy stored in the bond than there is for the normal 'spread' of carbon-carbon bonds, lowering the energy that would be required to break the bonds. This is reflected in a lower temperature limit before degradation occurs. Depending on what the normal operating environment is, there may well be no noticeable difference in stability.

  10. Re:Pander to My Prejudices by wierd_w · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, the inclusion of a pentagonal allotropic unit inside a carbon nanotube (just rolled up graphene) was one of the first laboratory examples of a pure carbon semiconductor.

    WAAAAY back in 1997
    http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10...

     

  11. Re:Pander to My Prejudices by Mr.CRC · · Score: 2

    On the contrary, the pentagon is very humanoid. Stand with your arms out and your legs apart. What shape do you fit into?