New allotrope of carbon synthesised

A new allotrope of carbon has been created that is being described as graphene’s ‘superatomic’ cousin by the team of US researchers behind it. Dubbed graphullerene, this atom-thin material is made of linked fullerene subunits. This novel form of carbon combines elements of two-dimensional carbon sheets and zero-dimensional carbon superatoms, and it could facilitate the development of new nanomaterials with applications in the electronics, aerospace, automotive and defence industries.