The discovery of a very hard substance that may compete with diamonds... What is it?

2023-12-18 2023-12-18T20:26:57Z

Weather of Arabia - Scientists have discovered a material that appears almost unbreakable, capable of competing with diamond as the hardest material on Earth. Studies have shown that when carbon and nitrogen molecules are exposed to conditions of extreme heat and pressure, new materials are formed known as carbon nitrides , which are superior in hardness to nitrides. Cubic boron, which is considered the second hardest substance after diamond, scientists pointed out that this discovery opens a new horizon for the use of multifunctional materials in industries, such as protective coatings for cars and spacecraft, heavy-duty cutting tools, solar panels, and photodetectors.

Exploring carbon nitrides... scientists' long journey towards discovering super-hard materials

Since the 1980s, scientists have been exploring the possibilities of carbon nitrides, where they first noticed their exceptional properties, including their high heat resistance. Despite more than three decades of research and multiple experiments to adapt this material, they have not yet reported any solid results.

In an important development, an international team of researchers, in cooperation with scientists from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Bayreuth in Germany, and the University of Linkoping in Sweden, was able to achieve significant progress. Dr. Dominique Laniel, from the University of Edinburgh, confirmed that the discovery of the first new carbon nitride material was Amazingly, it produced materials that researchers had been dreaming of for decades. These materials provide a powerful incentive to enhance the integration between the manufacture of high-pressure materials and their industrial applications. The team conducted experiments by exposing different forms of carbon nitrogen molecules to ultra-high pressures and temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Celsius, which resulted in the formation of materials with Exceptional hardness.

Carbon nitride reveals superior hardness and unique properties

Scientists have made an amazing discovery related to three compounds of carbon nitride, which turned out to contain the basic elements necessary to achieve superior hardness. Studies have shown that these three compounds maintained their properties similar to those found in diamond when returned to ambient pressure and temperature conditions.

Additional calculations and experiments indicate that these new materials have additional properties, such as photoluminescence and high energy density, allowing large amounts of energy to be stored in small amounts of mass.

In this context, the team considers that there are potential applications for carbon nitride, as it could become a final engineering material that competes with diamond, due to its ability to withstand great pressure.

Dr. Florian Triebel, Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University, explained:

"These materials stand out not only thanks to their diverse functions, but they also show their ability to recover relevant technological stages under compositional pressure conditions similar to those found in the Earth's interior over long distances. We are strongly convinced that this collaborative research will open new horizons in this field."