Allotropes of carbon

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Carbon is capable of forming many allotropes (structurally different forms of the same element) due to its valency (tetravalent). Well-known forms of carbon include diamond and graphite. In recent decades, many more allotropes have been discovered and researched, including ball shapes such as buckminsterfullerene and sheets such as graphene. Larger-scale structures of carbon include nanotubes, nanobuds carbon quantum dots and nanoribbons. Other unusual forms of carbon exist at very high temperatures or extreme pressures. Around 500 hypothetical 3‑periodic allotropes of carbon are known as of 2016, according to the Samara Carbon Allotrope Database (SACADA).

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