A Historical Review of Theoretical Boron Allotropes in Various Dimensions

For many years it was believed that boron can only form 3D allotropes due to its intrinsic electron deficiency. The last 20 years, however, have seen a true revolution in the knowledge and understanding of boron chemistry with synthesis of 2D forms of boron recently being made possible. The key works that contributed to this discovery were influenced by investigations in boron allotrope in various dimensions, including 3D (bulk), 0D (cluster), 1D (nanotube), and 2D (sheet). This chapter is a brief historical overview.