Q-carbon

Q-carbon is an allotrope of carbon. It is reported to be ferromagnetic, electrically conductive, and able to glow when exposed to low levels of energy.[1] It is relatively inexpensive to make and some media reports claim that it has replaced diamond as the world's hardest substance. According to the researchers, the crystalline structure is a mix of 3- and 4-way bonds rather than the uniform 4-way bonds found in diamonds.[2][3]

History

The discovery of Q-carbon was announced in 2015 by a research group headed by Materials Science & Engineering Professor Jagdish Narayan and graduate student Anagh Bhaumik at North Carolina State University.[4]

Production

It took researchers only 15 minutes to make one carat of Q-carbon. The initial research created Q-carbon from a thin plate of sapphire coated with amorphous (non-crystalline) carbon. Further research has demonstrated that other substrates, such as glass or polymer, also work. The process uses a high-powered laser pulse, similar to that used in eye surgery, lasting approximately 200 nanoseconds. This raises the temperature of the carbon to about 4,000 K (3,700 °C; 6,700 °F) at atmospheric pressure. The resulting substance is rapidly cooled ("quenched"). This quenching stage is the source of the "Q" in the material's name.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Properties

Q-carbon is a very hard solid phase of carbon.[1] Unlike all other known forms of carbon, Q-carbon is ferromagnetic. Its estimated Curie temperature is about 500 K and has a saturation magnetization value of 20 emu/g.[13] It has a mixed sp2/sp3 orbital form.[14] The electron cloud is subjected to rapid dissociation within the same phase becoming ferromagnetic. It is electrically conductive and glows when exposed to even low levels of energy.Q-carbon's hardness measurement is ~35 GPa,[14] compared to "diamond-like" carbon at 21 GPa.

Applications

Q-carbon has no current practical applications and is still in the development stage. Researchers have made various speculative claims including its formation into nanoneedles, microneedles, nanodots, or large-area diamond films. These preparations could offer potential applications in drug delivery, industrial processes and high-temperature switches and power electronics. Because of its glowing properties, researchers suggest this new carbon phase could be used to create new display technologies.[1][15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roston, Brittany (November 30, 2015). "Researchers create diamond at room temperature". www.slashgear.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  2. ↑ "Q-carbon is harder than diamond, incredibly simple to make - ExtremeTech". ExtremeTech. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  3. ↑ Narayan, Jay; Shipman, Matt (November 30, 2015). "Researchers Find New Phase of Carbon, Make Diamond at Room Temperature". news.ncsu.edu. NC State University. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  4. ↑ Jagdish Narayan-Anagh Bhaumik (30 November 2015). "Researchers Find New Phase of Carbon, Make Diamond at Room Temperature".
  5. ↑ "Q-Carbon Harder than Diamonds, Say Scientists Who Created It". Newsmax.
  6. ↑ Bromwich, Jonah (3 December 2015). "New Substance Is Harder Than Diamond, Scientists Say". New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Wei-Haas, Maya (2 December 2015). "Weird New Type of Carbon Is Harder (and Brighter) Than Diamond". Smithsonian.com (Smithsonian). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Mack, Eric (30 November 2015). "Scientists Create New Kind Of Diamond At Room Temperature". Forbes (Forbes). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Ben Brumfield, CNN (2 December 2015). "Q-carbon is harder, brighter than diamonds - CNN.com". CNN.
  10. ↑ Nanomaterials Group. "Nanodiamonds for Drug Delivery Applications".
  11. ↑ "Q & A: The Hardest Substance".
  12. ↑ Delacey, Lynda (December 6, 2015). "Q-carbon: A new phase of carbon so hard it forms diamonds when melted". www.gizmag.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  13. ↑ Narayan & Shipman 2015.
  14. 1 2 Narayan, Jagdish; Bhaumik, Anagh. "Novel phase of carbon, ferromagnetism, and conversion into diamond".
  15. ↑ Shipman, Matt. "Researchers find new phase of carbon, make diamond at room temperature".

Further reading


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