The abundance of carbon, coupled with its remarkable chemistry, make the element unique and essential to life and the universe. This book offers a succinct introduction to recent discoveries made in the field of carbon materials, their synthesis, allotropes and the impact this has had on developmental science. The book provides an overview of the carbon atom and its occurrences and examines carbon allotropes including, fullerene, graphene, carbon nanotubes, polyacenes, carbon-based polymers and two-dimensional metal-dichalcogenide electronic structures. By providing a uniquely encompassing and interlinked overview to carbon science, this book helps the reader realise the importance of carbon and how little we know about this mysterious but prevalent atom. It is a valuable reference for materials scientists and an essential text for any solid-state or electrical engineering student.
Includes bibliographical references.