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World's strongest glass can scratch the surface of a diamond
https://newatlas.com ^ | August 09, 2021 | By Nick Lavars

Posted on 08/11/2021 10:00:55 AM PDT by Red Badger

Material scientists in China experimenting with carbon in its many forms have conjured up a form of glass so hard that it can scratch the surface of a diamond. As reported by the South China Morning Post, the transparent material is also incredibly strong and has the ability to act as a semi-conductor, opening up some exciting possibilities in the realm of photovoltaics.

Called AM-III, the new material has some parallels with diamonds, both natural and man-made, in that it is formed primarily of carbon atoms. But where diamonds feature an arrangement of atoms and molecules in a perfect lattice structure, AM-III features a more disorganized structure where the atoms and molecules are misaligned, a kind of material known as amorphous.

Types of amorphous materials, or non-crystalline solids, include plastics, gels and, most famously, glass, but the lattermost is not something you'd normally associate with great hardness or strength. The scientists, from Yanshan University in China, sought to bring these characteristics to a glassy material through painstaking trial and error, experimenting with different arrangements of atoms and molecules, and by turning to soccer-ball-shaped molecules of carbon known as fullerenes.

We've seen material scientists study fullerenes to develop ignitable nanoparticles, advanced solar cells and further our knowledge of space, and the authors of the new study found they can also be used as the starting point for the formation of hardy amorphous materials. Fullerenes were subjected to increasing heat and pressure, causing them to be crushed and blended together, with the team carefully dialing up the heat and temperature into uncharted territory until AM-III was formed.

Images show scratches in the surface of a natural diamond, created by a hard new material known as AM-IIICourtesy of the authors/Creative Commons The new material proved to have a hardness of 113 GPa on a Vickers hardness test. For context, mild steel has a Vickers hardness of around 9 GPa, while naturally occurring diamonds rate at around 70 to 100 GPa. The team's comprehensive mechanical testing proved AM-III to be the hardest and strongest amorphous material known so far, and capable of scratching the surface of a diamond.

Further, the material was found to be semiconducting, with a bandgap range of 1.5 to 2.2 eV, similar to commonly used amorphous silicon. This mix of electronic and mechanical attributes makes AM-III an attractive proposition for scientists developing photovoltaic technologies that convert light into electricity, like those seen in solar cells.

The research was published in the journal National Science Review.

Source: South China Morning Post


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; History; Science
KEYWORDS: science
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1 posted on 08/11/2021 10:00:55 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: upchuck; ShadowAce; Swordmaker; dayglored

Ping!................


2 posted on 08/11/2021 10:01:37 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

finally i can build that glaSs house i’ve always wanted-


3 posted on 08/11/2021 10:04:48 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: Red Badger

With the Chinese ... some of the stuff ... I could maybe do without.

4 posted on 08/11/2021 10:04:48 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (We have two Democrat parties. 50% of the US population has no political representation.)
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To: Red Badger

And when they use this glass for smartphone screens, you’ll still need to use a screen protector...


5 posted on 08/11/2021 10:23:29 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Yo-Yo
And when they use this glass for smartphone screens, you’ll still need to use a screen protector...

Because while it might not scratch, it will probably shatter when dropped on a tile floor. Just because it's hard, doesn't mean it's not brittle.

6 posted on 08/11/2021 10:28:21 AM PDT by PapaBear3625
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To: Red Badger

Wonder if they’ll make knives and such with it?


7 posted on 08/11/2021 10:28:21 AM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: Red Badger

“rock paper scissors Glass Spock”
Spock crushes Diamond
Glass cuts Spock...


8 posted on 08/11/2021 10:30:36 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: Red Badger

i heard that chinese fullerenes (and NOT graphene oxide) in the covid vaccines are what’s causing most of the vaccine mortality and morbidity ...


9 posted on 08/11/2021 10:33:04 AM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Red Badger
AM-III features a more disorganized structure where the atoms and molecules are misaligned, a kind of material known as amorphous.

Then, just two sentences later, contradiction...

...soccer-ball-shaped molecules of carbon known as fullerenes

Fullerenes aren't amorphous; they are highly structured. So which is it?


10 posted on 08/11/2021 10:38:11 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“Criminal democrats kill babies. Do you think anything else is a problem for them?” ~ joma89)
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To: Red Badger
Material scientists in China...

Never mind.

11 posted on 08/11/2021 10:39:19 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to bow. I refuse to take any job I do not wish to. So BUZZ OFF!)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
Fullerenes were subjected to increasing heat and pressure, causing them to be crushed and blended together, with the team carefully dialing up the heat and temperature into uncharted territory until AM-III was formed.
12 posted on 08/11/2021 10:39:25 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: BradyLS

Late night infomercials recording even as we speak!................


13 posted on 08/11/2021 10:40:50 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger
"Material scientists in China.

More proof that it's really OK that students in the US don't take advanced math and physics.. Someone else is sure to invent everything we need...

14 posted on 08/11/2021 10:41:00 AM PDT by unread (Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities - Voltaire)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

>>Fullerenes aren’t amorphous; they are highly structured. So which is it?<<

They are phorous fluid. Structured or not as they feel at that moment.


15 posted on 08/11/2021 10:41:37 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (The democrats have just replaced KKK with CRT. /Kevin McCarty 7/6/21)
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To: Yo-Yo

I’ve often wondered why the synthetic sapphire like is used on a Rolex watch crystal wasn’t used for a phone screen.

I presume it’s too expensive.


16 posted on 08/11/2021 11:08:57 AM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem)
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To: Red Badger

Yawn... They have already made transparent aluminum (Aluminium oxynitride.)


17 posted on 08/11/2021 11:16:34 AM PDT by calico_thompson (Vanity sarcasm)
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To: Yo-Yo
And when they use this glass for smartphone screens, you’ll still need to use a screen protector...

Just to protect your diamonds.

18 posted on 08/11/2021 11:44:12 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the left, truth is right-wing extremism.⭐⭐)
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To: Red Badger

Sure, but can they invent Transparent Aluminum?


19 posted on 08/11/2021 11:47:27 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses.)
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To: Kickass Conservative
"Sure, but can they invent Transparent Aluminum?"

We already did it. (You can be sure they will steal it however! )

http://www.surmet.com/technology/alon-optical-ceramics/

ALON® is an amazing advanced transparent ceramic material with composition of Aluminum Oxynitride. It is extremely hard and durable, and is transparent in the near UV, visible and mid-IR wavelength regions.

ALON is the hardest polycrystalline transparent ceramic material there is, and has been shown to stop multiple 50 caliber armor piercing (AP) rounds. Multiple ballistic performance test results have shown ALON to be the Best Transparent Armor Material that is available commercially today. In addition to high hardness and strength, ALON possesses good chemical resistance and high temperature resistance.

Surmet has established manufacturing processes and technologies for producing high quality ALON powder and through green body formation, densification and optical fabrication.

Surmet manufactures and supplies high quality ALON® components to military and industrial customers in sizes as large as 18x35-in and in large quantities. Surmet also supplies ALON domes and windows for infrared optics applications including IR guided missiles, sensor and reconnaissance pods for both ground vehicles and helicopters/aircraft. Learn More.

(Pictures of granite impacting on ALON and shattering at site.

20 posted on 08/11/2021 2:06:38 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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