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A new stage of carbon has been discovered, dubbed Q-carbon by its creators at North Carolina State University, and it has a number of incredible new backdrop. Not merely does information technology appear to be harder than its close carbonaceous cousin, diamond, only it actually has backdrop the scientists themselves did not think possible. Q-carbon is ferromagnetic, something no other phase of carbon is known to be, and it fifty-fifty glows when exposed to energy. But, exciting as these things are, the most proximate application for Q-carbon is in back-conversion to more natural carbon crystals: With a simple melting process, Q-carbon can be turned to diamond under forgiving conditions.

Ane interesting thing about Q-carbon is that information technology'southward then new, its own discoverers don't brand as well many claims about exactly what information technology is on a chemical level. They make information technology by putting downward layers of "amorphous carbon," or unordered carbon molecules, onto a substrate like sapphire or glass. By laser-blasting these layers to above 4000K at atmospheric force per unit area, they can cause the whole thing to enter a molten state — and exactly how they allow this state to end and cool determines what they get at the end. Their studies went toward creating Q-carbon, which they say has generally four-way carbon bonds, like those in diamond, but as well a fair number of iii-way bonds.

A micrograph of a q-carbon film, studded with nano diamonds.

A micrograph of a q-carbon flick, studded with nano diamonds.

In principle, this ought to brand the crystal lattice less sturdy. But the researchers say that their not-homogenous crystal lattice could be "expected to possess novel concrete, chemical, mechanical, and catalytic properties."

They found such unexpected properties quickly enough. Though information technology would non even thought to exist possible, it seems that in its Q-form, carbon can exist ferromagnetic. Information technology'due south non like a super-magnet or anything, but the bare fact that this substance can react that fashion to an practical magnetic field is fascinating to materials scientists. And, of class, there'south the fact that Q-carbons seems to glow when exposed to even a small amount of energy.

"Too soft!" said the researchers.

"As well soft!" said the researchers.

Their technique tin lay downward layers of Q-carbon between 20 and 500 nanometers thick. These layers exhibit hardness well in backlog of diamond layers, by as much as 60% if the researchers are correct. They suggest that this could be due to the shorter average carbon-carbon bond lengths in Q-carbon.

Depending on just how the Q-carbon is made, it can finish upwardly with embedded nano-diamonds, or diamond nano-needles, which are basically just areas of the Q-carbon which did fuse into the perfect diamond lattice structure. But they can also intentionally dorsum-catechumen the Q-carbon to diamond nanodots, though the exact properties of that diamond aren't detailed. It's probable they're going to exist able to be fabricated into gemstone quality, but the industrial diamond market place is still enormous.

This isn't the first time that the materials industry has claimed to have beaten diamond in one way or another. What sets this apart is the ease of the production procedure, and the fact that while Q-carbon is new and largely unknown, information technology tin be converted to diamond, which is extremely well understood. Nosotros don't know what uses scientists might detect for this new phase of carbon, but since information technology can be created without the need for extreme conditions, at that place is at least a wide variety of researchers who are in a position to exist able to observe out.