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New form of flexible boron is 10 million times more electrically conductive

Phys · · 703 words · By Sanjukta Mondal
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What to know about New form of flexible boron is 10 million times more electrically conductive

Researchers have developed a new boron allotrope called Imma-B60 by removing sodium from a sodium boride compound using a two-step scaffolding process. This new material exhibits significantly higher electrical conductivity and greater plasticity compared to conventional forms of boron.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

September 25, 2026 report New form of flexible boron is 10 million times more electrically conductive Sanjukta Mondal Author Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor The atoms of the 5th element of the periodic table often find themselves in…

Why it matters

Despite the long catalog, most boron allotropes do not simultaneously possess high electrical conductivity and plasticity, but a recent study has expanded the portfolio.

Common ground

Scientists have now designed a new allotrope called Imma-B60 by washing out the sodium from the sodium boride compound Na4B60.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers have developed a new boron allotrope called Imma-B60 by removing sodium from a sodium boride compound using a two-step scaffolding process. This new material exhibits significantly higher electrical conductivity and greater plasticity compared to conventional forms of boron.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-flexible-boron-million-electrically.html

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
cancel Disputed 1
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Claim 1: “Their findings are published in Nature Chemistry.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources explicitly state that the research was published in the journal Nature Chemistry.
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web search NEUTRAL — Nature is a British weekly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research across the natural sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, and related interd…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(journal)
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web search NEUTRAL — Imma-B60 exhibits a narrow bandgap, high electrical conductivity and plasticity, expanding the potential application of boron beyond superhard and semiconducting phases.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-026-02281-9?error=coo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Credit: Nature Chemistry (2026).The researchers propose that this two-step scaffolding strategy could provide a basis for designing other mechanically resilient, functional inorganic materials. The st…
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/imma-b60-bends-to-about-32-…
schedule
Claim 2: “compression tests on Imma-B60 nanopillars showed the material can achieve about 32% strain without fracturing.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 3: “Imma-B60 also conducts electricity 10 million times better than the common form of boron”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one source explicitly mentions the '10 million times' figure. Another source mentions it conducts 'much more' electricity, but does not provide the specific multiplier.
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web search NEUTRAL — Imma-B60 also conducts electricity 10 million times better than the common form of boron, thanks to its very narrow bandgap of under 0.2 eV.
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-flexible-boron-million-electri…
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web search NEUTRAL — The material conducts much more electricity. The resulting Imma-B60 has electronic properties that differ sharply from those of standard rhombohedral boron.
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/imma-b60-bends-to-about-32-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Boron uses include boosting done density, balancing hormones and fighting diabetes, among others. Learn about other benefits and the best food sources.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/boron-uses/
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Claim 4: “allowing the allotrope to be flexible and deform by 23% without shattering.”
DISPUTED
The claim states the material can deform by 23% without shattering, but the evidence provided in the web search results explicitly states it bends to about 32% strain without fracturing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — React can be used to develop single-page, mobile, or server-rendered applications with frameworks like Next.js and React Router.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/React_(software)
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 19, 2026 · You can complete this React tutorial in approximately 8 weeks with consistent learning and hands-on practice. In Week 1, you'll cover React basics, including components, JSX syntax, and…
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reactjs/react/
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 12, 2025 · In conclusion, learning React may seem overwhelming at first, but with the right path and a solid grasp of the basics—like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ES6 features, and NodeJS—you can pick i…
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reactjs/getting-started-with-r…
help
Claim 5: “conducting electricity at room temperature about seven orders of magnitude higher than standard rhombohedral boron, reaching roughly 9×102 S m-1.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific conductivity value of 9x10^2 S m-1.
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Claim 6: “Imma-B60 forms a porous open framework built from 12-atom boron cages connected by 3-atom triangular boron units.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources describe the structure as a porous open framework consisting of 12-atom boron cages (icosahedra) connected by 3-atom triangular boron units.
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web search NEUTRAL — Unlike the dense, tightly packed atomic arrangements found in standard forms of elemental boron, Imma-B60 forms a porous open framework built from 12-atom boron cages connected by 3-atom triangular bo…
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-flexible-boron-million-electri…
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web search NEUTRAL — Its structure consists of 12-atom boron icosahedra connected by triangular three-atom boron units through two-centre and three-centre bonds. This architecture allows parts of the crystal lattice to sh…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMcPdXQGiQk
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web search NEUTRAL — Instead of packing tightly together, its atoms form a porous framework made from 12-atom boron cages connected by three-atom triangular units. That open structure was created by first making a sodium …
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/imma-b60-bends-to-about-32-…
info
Claim 7: “thanks to its very narrow bandgap of under 0.2 eV.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail of a bandgap 'under 0.2 eV' is mentioned in only one of the provided search results.
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web search NEUTRAL — Graph of carbon atoms being brought together to form a diamond crystal, demonstrating formation of the electronic band structure and band gap. The right graph shows the energy levels as a function of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_gap
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web search NEUTRAL — A stable, wide-bandgap (approximately 6 eV) ZnO/MgO multilayer thin film is fabricated using pulsed-laser deposition on c-plane Al 2 O 3 substrates.12. A method of fabricating a composition of Zn, Mg …
https://patents.google.com/patent/US7081371B1/en
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web search NEUTRAL — Multilayer black phosphorus (BP) has been widely used in many infrared applications due to its narrow bandgap below 3.7-µm wavelength range. Approaches that reduce the bandgap to less than 0.33 eV wou…
https://scholar.xjtu.edu.cn/en/publications/tunable-bandgap-…
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Claim 8: “They then placed the sodium boride crystals in a vacuum furnace and baked them at 900°C for two days.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific heating parameters (900°C for two days in a vacuum furnace).
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Claim 9: “Scientists have now designed a new allotrope called Imma-B60 by washing out the sodium from the sodium boride compound Na4B60.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Imma-B60 is a boron allotrope created by removing sodium from the sodium boride compound Na4B60.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guest_house
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web search NEUTRAL — Step into The Guest House, where timeless cuisine meets a modern spirit. Located in the heart of downtown Austin, it’s more than a restaurant — it’s a gathering place. Here, every dish is a celebratio…
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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Experience The Guest House, where the essence of classic dining meets contemporary flair. Situated in the vibrant heart of Scottsdale Quarter, The Guest House is not just a restaurant; it…
https://www.opentable.com/r/the-guest-house-scottsdale
schedule
Claim 10: “its bendiness is possible due to a dislocation-mediated slip mechanism in which atomic planes slide smoothly past each other under stress.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 11: “the researchers introduced zinc interlayers during the formation of sodium boride.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results discuss sodium borides and crystal growth generally, but none mention the use of zinc interlayers specifically for the synthesis of Na4B60/Imma-B60.
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web search NEUTRAL — Binary borides has been a subject of extensive research. Howe ver, the exact compositions and crystal structures. of sodium borides remained controversial. Here, using the abinitiovariable-composition…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324023772_Predictin…
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web search NEUTRAL — These crystals will be used as seeds. Seed is a small crystal that is immersed into the solution, which will continue to grow new layers of a crystal on top of it. Now let's merge the solution into an…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIAkWaQi0AE
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web search NEUTRAL — So far, there are only two sodium borides, orthorhom-bic Na3B20 and Na2B30 (or monoclinic Na2B29), which were successfully synthesized at ambient pressure [7–9]. However, the exact structure and compo…
https://uspex-team.org/static/file/PhysRevB.pdf
info
Claim 12: “conventional forms of elemental boron are naturally superhard, brittle under mechanical stress, and are poor electrical conductors with wide bandgaps above 1.5 eV.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (adult content) and do not provide information on the properties of conventional elemental boron.
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.