Scientists from North Carolina State University have discovered a unexampled form of solid carbon , call Q - carbon , and it has some unusual properties : Q - C isferromagnetic , harder than diamond , and freshness when exposed to energy . These dimension make it dissimilar fromgraphiteand diamond ( the other two possible form of square carbon , have a go at it as form ) , and the researcher discovered that Q - carbon paper can be used to build diamond social system at elbow room temperature .
To create Q - carbon , it ’s necessary to have two thing : a root of atomic number 6 and a substratum , a textile where the chemical reaction can take station . The reservoir is called amorphous carbon , where all the atoms are in a disorganized , irregular distribution . ember is an instance of amorphous C , while in this case the choice for the substrate was between sapphire , glass or charge plate .
The substratum was coated in a layer of uncrystallised carbon , and was then attain with a single laser pulse rate for about 200 nanoseconds , heating it to 4,000 Kelvins ( 3,726 ° C ; 6,740 ° F ) . The atomic number 6 was then rapidly cool down down , causing it to crystalize into Q - carbon .
“ We ’ve now created a third whole phase of C , ” articulate Jay Narayan , pass author of three papers describe the piece of work , in astatement . “ The only piazza it may be found in the natural human race would be possibly in the core of some planets . ”
So far , Q - carbon has been produced in moving-picture show between 20 to 500 nanometers blockheaded . The researcher have a mess of restraint in the conception of Q - carbon paper , and by interchange the substrate or the pulse length , they were able to create diamond nanostructures within the new material .
show is a skim electron microscopy image of microdiamonds made with the new technique . NCSU
“ We can create baseball diamond nanoneedles or microneedles , nanodots , or large - area rhombus celluloid , with coating for drug speech , industrial processes and for make high - temperature transposition and power electronics , ” Narayan enjoin .
“ And it is all done at elbow room temperature and at ambient atmosphere – we ’re basically using a laser like the one used for optical maser center OR . So , not only does this allow us to develop new coating , but the process itself is relatively cheap . ”
If a cheap , large - scale method of production is found , the unusual properties of Q - C could make it a phenomenal cloth to be used in the tech industry . Beyond being difficult and durable , the cloth ’s response to magnetic and light impulses is very promising in the development of new electronic displays .
The most recent newspaper is published in theJournal of Applied Physics , while the one on diamond nano - crystal was published in October byAPL Materials .
