Chinese Researchers Photographed First C-60 Molecule Bond ImageResearchers in University of Science and Technology of China have for the first time succeeded in photographing the mono-molecular picture of carbon-60 with its chemical bonds clearly resolved. This mono-molecular imaging technology has provided an effective way for scientists to analyze inner structures of a molecule and "restructure" it to form the molecule of a new substance.The result was published in a British magazine "Nature" dated January 18. Molecule is composed of atoms through chemical bonds. To "view" the chemical bonds is the prerequisite for restructuring any molecule. By using tunnel-scanning microscope and under a temperature of minus 268ˇăC, Professor Hou Jianguo, Yang Jinlong and Zhu Qingshi scored a success in photographing the molecular image with the single and dual bonds of carbon identified. The result will play a significant role in "cutting" and "reshaping" chemical bonds, and also lay a solid foundation for the designing and producing of nano-meter apparatuses and wares on a mono-molecular basis. They also discovered that when the carbon-60 is arrayed on a plane, it presents a unique property. Should this property be properly exploited, it will help raise the integrated density of a computer chip to 100 or even 1,000 folds. This shows that China has already placed itself onto a world advanced level in the symptomatic research of nano-meter structure. By PD Online staff member Li Yan |
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