The interface between physics, chemistry (and materials science) can be a fascinating one. Here I show a carbon nanotorus, devised by physicists[1] a few years ago. It is a theoretical species, and was predicted to have a colossal paramagnetic moment.
Carbon nanotorus. Click for 3D.
At 1364 carbon atoms, it is a little too big to calculate any of its expected chiroptical properties (the torus twists in a helical manner, and so is chiral). So we can only speculate whether e.g. its optical rotation would also be colossal! Or, what applications such a nanodevice might have. This post, by the way, was induced by seeing Steve Bachrach’s fascinating exploration of chiral nanohoops.
References
- L. Liu, G.Y. Guo, C.S. Jayanthi, and S.Y. Wu, "Colossal Paramagnetic Moments in Metallic Carbon Nanotori", Physical Review Letters, vol. 88, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.88.217206