Chemists synthesize deformable boron phase with million-fold conductivity gain

September 23, 2026 at 11:02 PM1 min

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Researchers at Yanshan University synthesized a new boron allotrope, Imma-B60, with electrical conductivity over a million times that of typical boron materials. The material extends to 23% of its original length before breaking, showing unusual deformability. The synthesis, reported in Nature Chemistry, uses a two-step high-pressure sodium route.

Key Facts

Imma-B60 has an electrical conductivity over a million times that of typical boron materials.
The material extends to 23% of its original length before breaking.
The synthesis was reported in Nature Chemistry on September 23, 2026.
The last discovery of an unusual boron allotrope was in 2009.
The two-step process involves reacting boron with sodium under high pressure, then heating at 400 °C under vacuum.

Synthesis Method

Xiang-Feng Zhou and collaborators at Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao, China, devised a two-step process never before applied to boron. They first coaxed boron into reacting with sodium under high pressures. The mixture was then heated at 400 °C under vacuum to almost completely remove sodium impurities, yielding Imma-B60. Artem Oganov, a materials chemist at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow, called the approach powerful and potentially far-reaching.

Material Properties

Imma-B60 consists of a network of boron atoms with open space where sodium atoms used to be. This structure enables dislocation slip, giving the material its deformability. The material extended to 23% of its original length before breaking and does not bounce back to its original form. The new phase has an electrical conductivity over a million times that of typical boron materials.