Schwarzites to schwarzynes: A new class of superdeformable materials

In this work, we have investigated the structural and mechanical properties of a new class of soft and superelastic materials, called schwarzynes. These materials are obtained by inserting sp carbon atoms (acetylenic groups) into the schwarzite framework. Using fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations with the AIREBO force field, our results show that schwarzynes are stable materials up to high temperatures (1000K). Schwarzynes exhibit a very wide elastic regime, some of them up to 70% strain without structural fractures. Our preliminary results show that the elastic properties can be easily engineered by tuning the number of acetylenic groups and the crystallographic directions where they are inserted.