1 · Assemble
Na4B60 precursor formed under high pressure. Sodium is part of this crystal, not loose packing.
2 · Degas
Heating under vacuum allows nearly all of the sodium to escape.
3 · Retain
The open Imma-B60 boron framework remains instead of collapsing.
Structure tests
Diffraction + microscopy + composition
Converging support for the proposed framework and near-complete sodium removal.
Electrical tests
≈900 S/m · ≈0.2 eV bandgap
Evidence of unusually high conductivity for elemental boron.
Mechanical tests
≈23% plastic deformation
Nanoscale pillars retained substantial deformation after uniaxial compression.
Boundary of the result: the compression finding applies to nanoscale pillars under controlled loading—not to a bulk sheet, wire or hand-bendable component.
Conceptual synthesis sequence and evidence map based on “An open-framework boron allotrope exhibiting high conductivity and plasticity,” Nature Chemistry (2026).