Allotropes of carbon

The allotropes of carbon are the different molecular configurations (allotropes) that pure carbon can take.

Related Topics:
Allotropes - Carbon

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These allotropes include:

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• amorphous carbon
• carbon nanofoam (discovered in 1997)
• diamond
• fullerene (which includes buckyballs and carbon nanotubes)
• graphite
• lonsdaleite
• ceraphite
• aggregated diamond nanorods

The system of carbon allotropes spans a range of extremes.

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Between diamond and graphite:

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• Diamond is hardest mineral known to man, but graphite is one of the softest.
• Diamond is the ultimate abrasive, but graphite is a very good lubricant.
• Diamond is an excellent electrical insulator, but graphite is a conductor of electricity.
• Diamond is usually transparent, but graphite is opaque.
• Diamond crystallizes in the isometric system but graphite crystallizes in the hexagonal system.

Between amorphous carbon and nanotubes:

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• Amorphous carbon is among the easiest materials to synthesize, but carbon nanotubes are extremely expensive to make.
• Amorphous carbon is completely isotropic, but carbon nanotubes are among the most anisotropic materials ever produced.