Russian scientists have synthesized a new superhard material containing scandium and carbon. It consists of polymerized fullerene molecules containing scandium and carbon atoms. This work points out the direction for the future research of fullerene based superhard materials, making them potential candidate materials in photovoltaic and optical equipment, Nano Electronics and optoelectronic elements, biomedical engineering as high-performance contrast agents and so on. The study was published in the journal carbon.
Nearly 40 years ago, the discovery of a new all carbon molecule called fullerene was a revolutionary breakthrough, paving the way for fullerene nanotechnology. Fullerene has a spherical shape composed of pentagons and hexagons, which is similar to football, and the cavity in the carbon framework of fullerene molecules can accommodate various atoms. This technology introduces metal atoms into the carbon framework and induces the formation of endohedral metal fullerenes (EMF). Due to its unique structure and photoelectric properties, it is very important in technology and science.
A research team from the Russian National University of science and Technology (NUST) misis, the Institute of superhard and new carbon materials technology and the kirensky Institute of physics FRC KSC sb Ras obtained scandium containing EMF for the first time and studied its polymerization process. Polymerization refers to the process that unbound molecules are connected together to form chemically bonded polymeric materials. Most polymerization reactions can be carried out at a faster speed under high pressure.
After using high-frequency arc discharge plasma to obtain scandium containing fullerenes from carbon condensate, the researchers placed them in diamond cutting board battery, which is the most common and popular equipment for manufacturing extremely high pressure.
"We have found that guest atoms promote the polymerization process. Scandium atoms completely change the binding process of fullerenes through the polarization of carbon bonds, resulting in the increase of their chemical activity. Pavel Sorokin, a senior researcher at the misis inorganic nano materials laboratory of the National University of science and technology, said:" the obtained material is lower in hardness than the original polymerized fullerenes, and it is easier to obtain. "
The researchers believe that this research will pave the way for the research of fullerene endohedral complex as a macro material, and make it possible to regard EMF as not only a fundamental nanostructure, but also a promising material, which may be in demand in various scientific and technological fields in the future.