Introducing Boron Buckyballs
A buckminsterfullerene, also known as a buckyball, is typically a fullerene consisting of sixty carbon atoms (C 60 ) arranged in a way that resembles a football-like sphere. Extending this arrangement to other types of atoms has until now however proven as illusive as finding non-carbon-based lifeforms. In a paper by [Hyun Wook Choi] et al. and published in Chemical Science the discovery of boron buckyballs is detailed. There is also a soft-paywalled article in the Chemical & Engineering News magazine for a higher-level perspective. The discovered boron-based buckyball ups the number of atoms to eighty, forming B 80 (boron fullerite) with a slightly larger diameter than C 60 at 0.85 nm versus 0.71 nm. Perhaps more interesting are the claims by the authors that boron fullerite may have more practical applications than its carbon-based cousin, mostly due to it being predicted to be a semiconductor with an 0.8 eV energy gap and better electron acceptance that provides interes...