Oxygen Insertion Catalysis by sp~2 Carbon

摘要

Elemental carbon with sp~2 hybridization is omnipresent in our lives, and in its natural form, graphite, an integral part of pencils, batteries, lubricants, steel, and electric motor brushes. High-tech electronic devices and the neutron moderators in nuclear power plants are made of synthetic graphite with a low density of defects (the number of carbon atom dislocations in the hexagonal lattice). Nanostructured sp~2 carbon is used as a pigment (carbon black) and as a polymer filler. The discovery and synthesis of nonplanar carbon allotropes, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fullerenes, ushered in a new era of cutting-edge applications for elemental carbon. The basic structural unit is graphene, with edge defects and a curvature induced by non-six-membered carbon rings.