Modjtaba Ghorbani on the Discovery of a New Class of Fullerenes
Fast Breaking Papers Commentary, June 2011
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Article: Eccentric connectivity polynomials of fullerenes
Authors: Ghorbani, M;Ashrafi, AR;Hemmasi,
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Modjtaba Ghorbani talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper paper in the field of Materials Science.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
My paper contains information about topological property of an infinite class of fullerenes. The area of fullerene chemistry is relatively young and received a strong boost after the discovery of the C60 fullerene molecule by Kroto and his team. Our results are related to the mathematical properties of this new allotrope of carbon.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
Coauthor Ali Reza Ashrafi.
The paper describes significant updates to the fullerene chemistry. I would say it is a synthesis of knowledge. The research is based on my earlier works on constructing new classes of fullerenes and providing good computer programs for discovering their topological properties.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
We present a new efficient method for computing topological indices and counting polynomials of fullerenes. We like to give a full list of fullerene molecules by graph theory language. This was our first step in this line.
How did you become involved in this research, and
how would you describe the particular challenges, setbacks, and
successes that you've encountered along the way?
Our research in this field started with the classification problem of fullerenes by their molecular graphs. In the field, it is generally observed that there are about 10 infinite families of fullerene graphs. This problem has been known to partly arise from the stability of fullerenes.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
I am still interested in the classification of fullerenes by their molecular graphs. To do this, I must construct more and more classes of fullerenes. I need to provide better computer programs for my calculations.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
I believe the discovery of this new class of fullerenes has already made an
impact in the field. On the other hand, I feel that doing interdisciplinary
research with international visibility in a country like Iran would help to
motivate people to do science.
Modjtaba Ghorbani
Shahid Rajaee University for Teacher Training
Tehran, Iran
Ali Reza Ashrafi
University of Kashan
Kashan, Iran
KEYWORDS: FULLERENE, ECCENTRIC CONNECTIVITY POLYNOMIAL, ECCENTRIC CONNECTIVITY INDEX, INFINITE FAMILY, TUBULAR NANOSTRUCTURES, SADHANA POLYNOMIALS, COMPUTING OMEGA, INDEX, GRAPHS.