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Carbyne: a Form of Carbon Even Stronger Than Graphene
New submitter Dialecticus writes "Sebastian Anthony at ExtremeTech has written an article about research into the physical properties of carbyne, an elusive form of carbon. A new mathematical analysis by Mingjie Liu and others at Rice University suggests that carbyne may achieve double the strength of graphene, stealing its crown and becoming the strongest material known to man. 'While carbyne cannot be stretched, it can be bent into an arc or circle — and by doing so, the additional strain between the carbon atoms alters the electrical bandgap. This property could lead to some interesting uses in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). By adding different molecules to the end of a carbyne chain, such as a methylene (CH2) group, carbyne can also be twisted — much like a strand of DNA — again adding strain and modifying the electrical bandgap. By "decorating" carbyne chains with different molecules, other properties can be added, too: Tack some calcium atoms on the end, which like to mop up spare hydrogen molecules, and suddenly you have a high-density, reversible hydrogen storage sponge.
It’s also important to note that, just like graphene, carbyne is just one atom thick. This means that, for a given mass of carbyne, its surface area is relatively massive. A single gram of graphene, for example, has a surface area of about five tennis courts. This could be very important in areas such as energy storage (batteries, supercapacitors), where the surface area of the electrode is directly proportional to the energy density of the device.'"
Been hearing so many wonderful things about exotic forms of carbon but when do I get something I can buy ( at a reasonable price )?
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
Transparent Aluminum, I'm still waiting....
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...How much is that in Volkswagens per story?
Is it space elevator time yet?
Perhaps not.
However, there does appear to be at least one fly in the ointment - material stability. It seems that if you have more than one strand of Carbyne that contacts another one, cross-links will form and will degrade the material’s strength. Money quote from the article; “This barrier suggests the viability of carbyne in condensed phase at room temperature on the order of days”
Because it's an alkyne of pure carbon. At least, the single/triple alternating version is.
The double/double form could be named carbene except that that name is already taken. Then again, that didn't seem to stop them here either. The better name for this material is linear acetylenic carbon. Sadly, I don't remember enough organic chemistry to know what the double/double would be called.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Sorry, here's that article on cumulenes.
(Stupid Slashdot posting delay... *grumble grumble*)
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
It doesn't steal the crown... ...until we can freeze Han Solo in it.
I'm holding out for carbonite.
From the non-chemistry side of the etymology, it is apparently not known with certainty why a short rifle is called a carbine in the first place:
"FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."