New Buckyball crystal formed that can cut through diamonds
Now, in 2012, scientists have found another lab-verified use for C60: It can be formed into a crystal so hard that it can cut through diamonds.
Creation of the yet-to-be-officially-named Buckyball superdiamond is, logistically, very simple. Scientists simply arranged the Buckyballs in a lattice and filled in the molecular gaps with another carbon compound, xylene. When extreme pressure was applied to the mix — 320,000 atmospheres' worth, the kind of pressure that creates synthetic diamond — a new part diamond, part Buckyball crystalline structure was created. Researchers know the substance is incredibly hard, harder than anything else on Earth: The creation of the superdiamond dented the diamond used to help apply the pressure needed to create it.
(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/FxQ3S1oI7bHR9Y.2GUQKlA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/technews/fva-630-buckyball-chemical-atomic-structure-flickr-thealieness-giselagiardino-630w.jpeg)
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/buckyball-crystal-formed-cut-diamonds-202258642.html
Cool! What kind of things can be done with this material I wonder?
Quote from: COSMO on August 18, 2012, 01:08:38 AM
Cool! What kind of things can be done with this material I wonder?
Polish diamonds and corundum with ease :D
Placing my order now... I have a ton of star corundum I need to cut and polish 8)
If the drawing is correct ?
Formed from a combination of "Pentagonal" and "Hexagonal" structures ?
Interesting !
Need more detail. :D
Hmm, I think I hear Matrix's wheel's turning, thinking of ways to use this new stuff in editing the body.
Shasta
With the wording used in explaining this man made crystal . Im sure Ed Fouche will take credit for it!!! He will say its a Quasicrystal that hes been talking about!!!!
Hmmm, maybe we can try to grow some of our own, Zorgon...then we can possibly use them to skin those your sports model you were talking about recently.
I wonder how this will apply to aerospace technology especially spacecraft parts and such.
Le
Quote from: ShotInTheDark on August 18, 2012, 03:01:38 AM
With the wording used in explaining this man made crystal . Im sure Ed Fouche will take credit for it!!! He will say its a Quasicrystal that hes been talking about!!!!
Who? ???
How does one go about creating 320,000 atmospheres?
That is a lot of presure for sure! Deuem
Quote from: deuem on August 19, 2012, 04:31:49 AM
How does one go about creating 320,000 atmospheres?
That is a lot of presure for sure! Deuem
Id have to go with hydraulics, big ones!
The problem is when this pressure is applied, what holds down the press?
Thats almost 500,000 pounds of weight equivalent.
Is the press bolted to a building, which is bolted to the ground?
It takes 100,000 lbs to press synthetic diamonds, so over three times more than that.
Serious numbers there!
Le
Quote from: Littleenki on August 19, 2012, 04:43:09 AM
Id have to go with hydraulics, big ones!
The problem is when this pressure is applied, what holds down the press?
Thats almost 500,000 pounds of weight equivalent.
Is the press bolted to a building, which is bolted to the ground?
It takes 100,000 lbs to press synthetic diamonds, so over three times more than that.
Serious numbers there!
Le
Yeah, probably some type of monster press...here's another article from Carnegie, the folks that did it:
http://carnegiescience.edu/news/new_form_carbon_observed
I wonder if you could use kinetic energy, like a great big impact? Maybe some time of controlled explosion/implosion?
Diamond blades in construction were once exotic, now very very common. (I have 4-5 for my own various tools.) I have no doubt that in time and as cost decreases, this new mineral will find it's way into industrial and commercial cutting/polishing applications.
Put one of those blades in a wet-saw and cutting tile, stone, bricks would be like butter.
Hydraulic presses can do it, i've worked on 450,000 lb jobbies 8)
The buckyball was also used in a most interesting experiment involving 2 slits, i'm sure you have all heard of it.
The results of that experiment are controversial, but would appear to vindicate the 'wave' nature of matter.
Imagine this tech in combination with other nanotech materials like Graphene, and the applications are endless... ::)
I'll also hazard a guess, imagine the kind of "no scratch" and weather resistant surface you could apply once the technique is figured out.
Quote from: PLAYSWITHMACHINES on August 20, 2012, 05:43:26 PM
Hydraulic presses can do it, i've worked on 450,000 lb jobbies 8)
The buckyball was also used in a most interesting experiment involving 2 slits, i'm sure you have all heard of it.
The results of that experiment are controversial, but would appear to vindicate the 'wave' nature of matter.
Imagine this tech in combination with other nanotech materials like Graphene, and the applications are endless... ::)
Thats some serious squishing power, Luke!
Dont get a hand in ther, itll turn to liquid:(
I think where this tech will end up going is not only in nano sheets which can be laminated and made to be a very effective layer of bulletproof material, but in those skins which have been flying off the Mach 15 aircraft theyre designing.
If its stronger than diamonds, it should be able to be thin enough to shed heat well, while being strong enough to deflect the shock wave of breaking multiple mach speeds in progression.
And as the craft accelerates it could flex quite a bit to prevent stress fractures, too.
Maybe these types of materials are how our UFO's are able to execute such incredible turns and maneuvers.
Or Zorgon could make an impenetrable shield for renaissance fairs! 8)
Le
C60 chain mail?
Cool 8)