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Diamond-coated Steel
An anonymous reader writes "A Dutch chemist has successfully coated steel with a layer of diamond, opening the possibility for insanely strong tools that almost never wear out -- not to mention armor tough as, well, diamond-coated nails. From Science Blog."
"How about engine parts? They might make an engine that would run for a half million miles with normal oil changes."
;)
Yeah, I'm sure the car industry will hop all over the ability to provide cars that last longer.
"Derp de derp."
They do... typically deisel engines can last up to and over a million miles with typical (and scheduled) maintainance. Take care of your car's engine and you might get more than a lifetime's worth of use out of it, too.
I'm more interested in the bonding issue. If heat can effect the bonding (because steel and diamond have very different thermal expansion coefficients), then how useful would this really be for, say, cutting tools?
Also, I can't see armor plating as being all that impressive. diamond coated steel might have excellent wear characteristics, but since the layer is just atoms thick (I'm assuming, article didn't say... maye you could build it up with repeated coatings?) it wouldn't offer much to resist bending or puncture... thus not being a big improvement for armor. Diamond is also brittle, meaning it'll be easy to crack if you bend or chip it.
Heat transfer properties, however, are very interesting. If they can build up layers, you could start with a thin wire forms and make diamond heat sinks... and diamond is a very good heat conductor. (based on the process they describe to make it, doesn't sound too expensive either... heating up hydrogen and methane gas? Pfft!)
=Smidge=
What would the point be, though? Yeah, sure, so you buy a car ever 25 years, instead of every 5-10 -- how much more expensive would a diamond-coated-engine-equipped car be compared to a regular one? I'm sure that this innovation would cost us, consumers, a pretty penny.
Plus, what good is a diamond-coated engine if the paint fades after 15 years or the body rusts through? Not to mention what happens when you get bored with the car you have -- those of us, who get cars for the purpose of driving them to the ground would have to wait much longer before being able to justify getting a newer model.
For now, I'm pretty happy with the car I have (knock on wood) -- it's got 113k miles so far, and I hope it will last at least another 100k (which for me would be 4 more years). Like someone said about diesels: with regular maintenance and care, you can make these things go a long time.
Have EVDO, will travel.
Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?
Finally, a nice, heavy frying pan that won't scratch.
A well cared for car (engine and all) should last half a million miles. You should be able to get 250,000 miles or so on a properly maintained engine. There are a lot of Hondas (my experience is limited to Honda) with 500,000+ km on them in my area.
What a lot of people don't realize about engines is that it is possible to rebuild and swap in new ones for a reasonable fee. You need to replace your piston rings, you usually need new pistons and a bore job done on the cylinder. The connecting rods should be fine, and the only other wear item is the bearings on the crankshaft. Valve guides can wear, but those are also replaceable.
The level of care required is signifigant, though, and most people want a shiney new car (tm) eventually. I drive manual transmission cars only, the primary wear item there at the synchronizing rings, and again, those are replaceable.
..don't panic