For a long time, the jug remained a theoretical material. Besides its unique electrical conductivity, it was thought to have mechanical and optical properties that could be useful, for example, in the manufacture of more efficient lithium-ion batteries.

Why was it so difficult to synthesize a pitcher?

There are different ways to form allotropic forms of carbon, depending on how the atoms are bonded to other elements. The most famous of these are graphite and diamond. In recent years, fullerene and graphene have also been synthesized using conventional chemical methods. However, these methods do not allow to obtain large quantities of other types of carbon, as is required, for example, for decanters.

And getting it was a very desirable task, because it has a number of advantages and will be extremely useful in various industries. So scientists applied a new process and succeeded.

How did the scientists get the jug?

Professor Zhang Wei’s team used the metathesis process of alkynes – an organic reaction involving the redistribution of alkyne chemical bonds, as well as thermodynamic and kinetic control. As a result, scientists have succeeded in obtaining a controlled material that has not existed before and that can compete with graphene in terms of electrical conductivity.

There is a big difference between graphene and pitcher. What we buy can be a miraculous material for the new generation,
said Zhang.

In the near future, the creators of decanters plan to reduce production costs and simplify the synthesis procedure.

By the way, scientists from the University of Florida recently announced the appearance of the first plants to grow in the lunar regolith. They only got a few teaspoons of regolith from NASA for their experiment, but that was enough.

Studies have shown that the soil on the surface of the moon does not interfere with the development of terrestrial plants and does not lead to the formation of substances harmful to the human body. At the same time, plants perceive regolith as a stressful environment and do their best to adapt to it.