Abstract
IN the ideal crystal, graphite consists of infinite sheets of fused aromatic rings, packed in parallel and with hexagonal symmetry of the atoms. Actual crystals of graphite show various types of departure from this ideal structure. These include defects in the packing of the parallel layers, which have been demonstrated in a variety of crystallographic studies, and defects in the macro-aromatic network which constitutes any one layer. It has long been realized that any one such aromatic macromolecule must stop somewhere. At outside edges, the carbon atoms of macro-aromatic molecules probably form organic derivatives such as C=0, C—OH, —C—H, in order to satisfy valency requirements. Some of these outside edge atoms may also form weak C—C bonds of the hexaphenyl–ethane type between pairs. Interesting new types of crystal defect are also possible at carbon atoms situated at internal points of any macro-aromatic network, whenever such atoms are not joined to two carbon neighbours as in the planes of ideal graphite.
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UBBELOHDE, A. Hole and Claw Defects in Graphite. Nature 180, 380 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/180380a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/180380a0
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