There is a new nanomaterial on the block. University of Oregon chemists have discovered a way to create carbon atoms with a unique (Researchers synthesize new types of nanomaterials) structural feature: interlocking rings. Like other nanomaterials, these bound particles have interesting properties that can be “tuned” by changing their size and chemistry. This makes them useful for many applications, such as special sensors and new types of electronics. “This is a new topology for carbon nanomaterials, and we’re discovering something new that we haven’t been able to see before,” said James May, a graduate student in the laboratory of chemistry professor Ramesh Jasti and first author of the paper. ‘ article. May and his colleagues report their findings in a paper published Jan. 1. 12 in natural chemistry.
While other labs have also created different types of nested cells, the Jasti lab’s method makes it possible to bond carbon nanotube structures together. This will allow chemists to make many different changes to the structure and to analyze the properties of new substances in more detail.
“You can create buildings that you can’t use other methods,” Jasti said. For example, his team used the method to create three interlocking rings, and a rod-like structure with multiple rings that can jump up and down. The breakthrough grew out of Jasti’s work on nanohoops, rings of carbon fiber that are a variety of long and thin carbon nanotubes. “Because we can create these cycles at will, I started thinking, can you create things that don’t exist in nature?” Jasty said. “That’s where this idea of the ring came in.”
Finding the sequence of chemical reactions that can create complex rings requires a creative approach. Their solution relies on adding a metal atom placed in a suitable position in the ring. This machine causes a chemical reaction to form the second ring, forcing it to form within the first ring. As soon as this reaction takes place, the second ring is held, and it is locked with the first ring.
“We can make chemistry happen in space where it wouldn’t happen,” May said. The woven particles behave differently if their size changes or if the ring is placed in different directions or if the material is thrown different chemicals and compounds. By making changes at the nanoscale, scientists can modify the material to do exactly what they want it to do. Because the class of things is new, scientists are still discovering all the possibilities.
But Jasti’s team is particularly interested in their potential as sensors, where changes in the state of a ring in response to a particular chemical can lead to a fluorescent glow. They can be used to create flexible electronic components or flexible medical devices.
“Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene or even diamond are straightforward,” he said. “Here, we have created a new type of carbon nanomaterials that retain their electrical and optical properties, and now can do things like twist, bend or stretch.”
