Nagoya team uses skeletal editing to build chiral nanocarbons in Nature Communications

Researchers at Nagoya University report in Nature Communications that skeletal editing focused on the interior of flat carbon molecules can create chiral nanocarbons in left- and right-handed forms. The team cut and reformed bonds inside common flat structures, such as small graphene-like pieces, to build shapes including molecules with 10-carbon rings and a double helix. Phys.org reported that the molecules glow with light that spirals as it travels, that two can hold multiple electrical charges without breaking, and that one keeps its handed shape even at 280°C. Skeletal editing has mainly been used in pharmaceutical chemistry; the writeup says this is the first application to nanocarbon synthesis. The double-helix molecule self-assembles into crystals with spiral-shaped pores that trap and release carbon dioxide, properties relevant to gas storage and advanced materials research. The paper is listed as "Skeletal transformation to chiral nanocarbon molecules" in Nature Communications with DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-75280-6.