Graphene — atomically thick sheets of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern — has received much attention for its exceptional electrical properties, thought to arise from its hexagonal symmetry. But Daniel Malko and his colleagues at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany propose that a similar material, graphyne, might be just as special — or even more so.

Graphynes are similar to graphene, the main difference being that they have triple bonds between some of their carbon atoms. Only small snippets of graphyne have been synthesized so far, but the authors performed a simulation showing that, like graphene, various forms of graphyne should have high electrical conductivity. The researchers note that not all graphynes have graphene's hexagonal honeycomb configuration. This suggests that many more two-dimensional materials — with various symmetries and non-carbon structures — could have graphene-like properties.

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 086804 (2012)