Scientists have synthesized a new formula for diamond-like glass with high thermal conductivity

By strongly compressing carbon nanoparticles, the researchers created the hardest glass to date with the highest thermal conductivity of any glass material known.

Diamond combines high strength and transparency, but unlike quartz sand, it is not suitable for glass casting. The problem lies in the difficulty of its melting, requiring extremely high temperatures and pressures (3700-4000 ° C at 11 GPa), comparable to conditions in the center of the Earth. At the same time, melting of soft forms of carbon, such as graphite, does not allow achieving the desired result due to their two-dimensional structure of bonds between atoms.

For decades, scientists have searched for the optimal starting material for conversion into diamond-like glass. Among them are researchers from Jilin University who have experimented with high pressures and temperatures for many years. However, they recently found a way to synthesize an amorphous carbon material with three-dimensional bonds.

To do this, they used fullerene (spherical molecules of 60 carbon atoms) as a base. First, the team heated it to the minimum level necessary to destroy the entire molecular structure. The broken fullerene was then compressed using a large multi-station press, turning it into a sheet of carbon material with a three-dimensional structure similar to diamond.

Tests have shown that the resulting sheet is the hardest and most durable glass to date with the highest thermal conductivity of all known glass materials.

Source: https://bitcryptonews.ru/