As we all know, diamonds, which symbolize loyal love, are the hardest natural substances in the world and are often used to cut glass in industry. As the raw material that makes up diamonds, carbon is one of the most attractive elements, and exploring new forms of carbon has always been an eternal theme of scientific research.
A paper published in the National Science Review (NSR) in early August introduced a new type of glass born in the laboratory: AM-III, which is the hardest glass material known so far and can Scratch the diamond crystal and approach its strength.
The makers of AM-III carbon are a group of materials scientists from Yanshan University. They found that crystalline and amorphous carbon can create high-strength glass in a certain ratio. They combined fullerene C60 (a hollow glass composed of 60 carbon atoms). Molecules) are compressed in an environment of high temperature and pressure to produce this hard carbonaceous material.
In addition to its superior strength, AM-III is electrically conductive and resistant to high temperatures. In other words, this new material has a hardness comparable to diamond, and also has good electrical conductivity that diamond does not have. This material has broad application prospects in the future and may be used in bulletproof glass, military weapons, and optoelectronic equipment.