Researchers Synthesize Imma-B60 Boron Allotrope With 9×10² S/m Conductivity and 23% Plasticity
Updated
Updated · Tech Explorist · Sep 26
Researchers Synthesize Imma-B60 Boron Allotrope With 9×10² S/m Conductivity and 23% Plasticity
3 articles · Updated · Tech Explorist · Sep 26
Summary
Imma-B60 pairs about 9 × 10² S/m electrical conductivity with roughly 23% plastic deformation, a combination researchers say had eluded boron phases.
The allotrope was made by first forming sodium-rich Na4B60 under high pressure, then degassing out sodium to leave a boron-only open framework.
B12 icosahedra linked by triangular B3 units create mixed 2-center and 3-center sigma bonds, giving the lattice both rigidity and flexibility; its bandgap is below 0.2 eV.
That conductivity is seven orders of magnitude above beta-boron, while dislocation-mediated slip explains why the material deforms instead of behaving like boron's usual brittle, superhard phases.
The result broadens boron's known allotropes and points to uses in flexible electronics and robust energy materials, while highlighting precursor-based routes to other metastable materials.