Scientists generate compounds with diamond-like hardness


PTI, Dec 16, 2023, 11:21 AM IST

Representative image (Source: ANI)

Scientists subjected substances containing carbon and nitrogen to extreme heat and pressure to yield a material that they said could rival diamond in its hardness.

The international team of scientists led by the University of Edinburgh, UK, exposed these carbon nitrogen mixtures to pressures about a million times the atmospheric – between 70 and 135 gigapascals – and temperatures of more than one and a half thousand degrees Celsius.

The resulting materials, called carbon nitrides, were found to be tougher than cubic boron nitride, the second hardest material after diamond. The findings are published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The researchers said that these nitrides, with “necessary building blocks for super-hardness”, have potential industrial applications such as protective coatings for cars and spaceships, high-endurance cutting tools, solar panels and photodetectors.

The team also observed that these nitride compounds retained their diamond-like qualities when they returned to ambient pressure and temperature conditions.

They said that further calculations and experiments suggested that these new materials possessed additional properties including photoluminescence, or glowing by absorbing light, and high energy density, where a large amount of energy can be stored in a small amount of mass.

The researchers positioned these extremely hard nitrides as “ultimate engineering materials to rival diamonds”.

The exceptional properties of carbon nitrides were first noticed in the 1980s, including high resistance to heat.

However, despite multiple attempts to unlock their potential and generate them, no credible results were reported, according to the researchers.

“Upon the discovery of the first of these new carbon nitride materials, we were incredulous to have produced materials researchers have been dreaming of for the last three decades.

“These materials provide strong incentive to bridge the gap between high pressure materials synthesis and industrial applications,” said the study’s corresponding author Dominique Laniel from the University of Edinburgh.

Along with being multi-functional, these materials can be rendered technologically relevant through synthesis pressures similar to those found thousands of kilometres in the Earth’s interior, according to study author Florian Trybel from the University of Linkoping, Sweden.

“We strongly believe this collaborative research will open up new possibilities for the field,” said Trybel.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

BJP accuses Kejriwal of deception over ‘Sanjeevani’ and ‘Mahila Samman’ schemes

Theatre stampede case: Police grill actor Allu Arjun for over 3 hrs; ask about sequence of events

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wishes Shivarajkumar speedy recovery

HC asks Centre’s response on plea of Yuvraj Singh’s NGO seeking FCRA renewal

Rafi a musical genius, his cultural influence transcends generations: PM Modi

Kalaburagi: GESCOM officials booked after woman injured by live wire

Derogatory comments row: K’taka Minister Hebbalkar dares BJP’s Ravi to take oath before god

Related Articles More

ISRO to launch SpaDeX Mission on Dec 30

ISRO to study how crops grow in space on PSLV-C60 mission

ISRO & ESA agree to cooperate on astronaut training, mission implementation

Snatcher lands in police net in Delhi, AI tech helps reveal identity

AI Meets Health: The Rise of Smart Fitness Solutions

MUST WATCH

Tulunadu Daivaradane

Feeding Birds with Creative Paddy Art!

Areca Nut

HOTEL SRI DURGA BHAVANA

Harish Poonja


Latest Additions

BJP accuses Kejriwal of deception over ‘Sanjeevani’ and ‘Mahila Samman’ schemes

Theatre stampede case: Police grill actor Allu Arjun for over 3 hrs; ask about sequence of events

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wishes Shivarajkumar speedy recovery

HC asks Centre’s response on plea of Yuvraj Singh’s NGO seeking FCRA renewal

Rafi a musical genius, his cultural influence transcends generations: PM Modi

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.