Graphynes: indispensable nanoporous architectures in carbon flatland

Theoretical design and experimental realization of novel nanoporous architectures in carbon membranes has been a success story in recent times. Research on graphynes, an interesting class of materials in carbon flatland, has contributed immensely to this success story. Graphyne frameworks possessing sp and sp 2 hybridized carbon atoms offer a variety of uniformly distributed nanoporous architectures for applications ranging from water desalination, gas separation, and energy storage to catalysis. Theory has played a pivotal role in research on graphynes, starting from the prediction of various structural forms to the emergence of their remarkable applications. Herein, we attempt to provide an up-to-date account of research on graphynes, highlighting contributions from numerous theoretical investigations that have led to the current status of graphynes as indispensable materials in carbon flatland. Despite unsolved challenges in large-scale synthesis, the future appears bright for graphynes in present theoretical and experimental research scenarios. The uniformly distributed nanoporous architectures in graphynes have significantly expanded the applicability of the materials of carbon flatland in areas such as water desalination, gas separation, energy storage, catalysis and optoelectronics.