The intrinsic negative Poisson’s ratio effect at the level of molecule in two-dimensional nanomaterials, especially in the perfect planar nanostructures with a single atom thickness, is really rare and has attracted a lot of research interests because of its unique mechanical properties in the nanoscale and extensive applications in mechanical nanodevices. In this work, a novel ideal planar carbon nanostructure (PCNS) framework with a single atom thickness composed by carbon and hydrogen atoms is proposed and studied by means of first-principles density functional calculation. The results showed that the PCNS is, simultaneously, of excellent thermodynamic, molecular dynamic and mechanical stabilities. In addition, the electronic structure, mechanical characters, and optical-electronic characteristics of PCNS are also explored. Excitedly, it is found that the PCNS has a significant negative Poisson’s ratio effect in plane, and the maximum value of Poisson’s ratio is as high as − 2.094. Meanwhile, the material has a wide range of elastic mechanics. Moreover, the PCNS presents an ideal UV absorption performance. It is hoped that this work could be a useful structural design strategy for the development of the ideal 2D carbon-based nanomechanical devices with the intrinsic negative Poisson’s ratio effect and other electronic functions.

Carbon materials with tailorable structures and superior properties have great potential applications in environmental protection, energy conversion, and catalysis. Plant biomass as abundant and green non-toxic raw materials has been considered as good precursors for synthesizing heteroatom-doped carbon materials. However, few studies have been reported on the different natures of carbon materials derived from different parts of the same plant biomass. In this study, we prepared carbon materials from the petioles and blades of apricot leaves by direct pyrolysis without additives. Detailed characterizations indicate that these two carbon materials are similar in element composition and graphitization degree, but differ greatly in surface area and pore volume. These differences can be attributed to the different contents of inorganic salts, vascular bundles, and proteins in petioles and blades. When used as catalysts for the oxidation of ethylbenzene, the petiole-derived carbon shows better catalytic performance than the blades derived carbon due to its high surface area, large average pore size, and doped nitrogen atoms. Furthermore, the carbon catalysts derived from the petioles and blades of poplar leaves and parasol tree leaves show the same difference in catalytic reaction, implying that the above-mentioned conclusion is rather universal, which can provide reference for the synthesis of carbon materials from leaves.