According to experts, there are two main types of molecular structures in diamonds and many other materials: crystalline structures, in which all atoms form repeating patterns, and irregular, amorphous structures.
The research team led by Howard Sheng of George Mason University in the USA has produced a material with a structure between these two species for the first time.
The new substance, called paracrystalline diamond, is made up of tiny structures known as paracrystallines, made up of just a few carbon atoms.
Sheng the material they produce, “This is completely different from the diamond we know” he calls it.
The new type of diamond was produced at a pressure of about 30 gigapascals. This pressure level is equivalent to 270 times the pressure in the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point on Earth.
It is stated that the temperature in the conditions where the diamond is formed exceeds 1200 degrees.
For this reason, it is stated that paracrystalline diamonds are as hard as natural diamonds and much more resistant to temperature.
Sheng says this material can be used in saws and other industrial tools that need to operate at high temperatures for long periods of time.
Researchers believe that similar paracrystalline structures could be formed in other solid materials.
The team, which has published its findings in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature, therefore hopes to produce heat-stable versions of other materials in further research.
Source: The Independent
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