‘Conductive Play-Doh’ could herald new class of materials

Discovered by researchers at the University of Chicago, the material’s molecular structure is jumbled and disorderly, suggesting it should be a poor conductor. Good conductors are generally made up of straight, closely packed rows of atoms or molecules, allowing electrons to easily flow through the material. A conductive material without these properties challenges a fundamental principle of conductivity and could signify a paradigm shift in materials science. The work is published in Nature.  

“In principle, this opens up the design of a whole new class of materials that conduct electricity, are easy to shape, and are very robust in everyday conditions,” said John Anderson, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago and the senior author on the study.

The material was first discovered by Jiaze Xie, the study’s first author who is now at Princeton University after completing a PhD at Chicago. Xie began experimenting with some materials discovered years ago, but largely ignored. He strung nickel atoms like pearls into a string of molecular beads made of carbon and sulphur and began testing. Much to the scientists’ amazement, the material easily and strongly conducted electricity. What’s more, it was very stable.