Transformations of adamantyls and other molecular nanodiamonds in the coordination sphere of metals

想想钻石。我们想把重点放在它的原子结构上，并想探索如果我们可以随意合成它扩展的三维结构的片段，我们可以获得哪些材料。例如，我们可能想要制造一种只有两个碳原子厚的金刚石膜，一种非常坚固和透明的膜。虽然存在这种膜的名称（digraphane），但没有人知道如何制作这种膜，它与石墨烯（2010年诺贝尔奖）有关，但性质截然不同。或者是一种三维纳米结构，它是刚性的，明确的，生物相容性的，由五个或更多的连体金刚烷（最小的钻石）笼制成。也没人知道怎么做。或者是一种由钻石制成的非常坚固的纤维，尽可能薄地保持钻石结构。我们还不能制造出这样的纤维。有一个可能的材料世界，许多具有非常理想的性能，在令人难以置信的大领域中，一边是宏观的钻石，另一边是最小的钻石，金刚烷。如何在这个领域合成丰富的材料几乎是完全未知的。Fekl小组正在探索使用金属作为介质和催化剂，在纳米金刚石基化学的困难和重要领域中寻找新的合成方法。这项研究涉及到将金属连接到最小的纳米金刚石（上面提到的金刚烷）的特定位置，然后利用只有金属才能完成的反应，为制造新化合物和新材料开辟了广阔的可能性。这项研究的副产品将是合成药物（如抗病毒药物）的新方法，以及帮助我们生产各种有用化合物的新催化剂。

Consider a diamond. We want to focus on its atomic structure and want to explore the question of which materials we could obtain if we could synthesize at will selected fragments of its extended 3D structure. We could desire to make, for example, a diamond membrane that is just two carbon atoms thick, an exceptionally strong and clear membrane. Although a name for such a membrane exists (digraphane), nobody knows how to make this membrane, which is related to graphene (Nobel Prize 2010) but vastly different in its properties. Or a three-dimensional nano-structure that is rigid, well-defined, bio-compatible, and made from five or more conjoined adamantane (the smallest diamond) cages. Nobody knows how to make this either. Or a very strong fiber made from diamond, as thin as maintaining the diamond structure allows. We are not able yet to create such a fiber. There is a world of possible materials, many having highly desirable properties, in the incredibly large realm bordered by macroscopic diamond one one side and the smallest possible diamond, adamantane, on the other side. How to synthesize the wealth of materials in this realm is almost completely unknown. The Fekl group is exploring the use of metals as mediators and catalysts, for new synthesis approaches in the difficult and important field of nano-diamond-based chemistry. The research involves connecting metals to a specific position of the smallest nano-diamond (the adamantane mentioned above) and then using reactions that only metals can accomplish to open up vast possibilities for making new compounds and materials. Spin-offs from this research will be new methods for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals such as antivirals, as well as new catalysts that aid our ability to produce a large variety of useful compounds.