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Scientists Discover Diamond Nanothreads
First time accepted submitter sokol815 writes Penn State University scientists discovered diamond nanothreads can be created from benzene when compressed. The compression brings the benzene molecules into a highly reactive state. It was expected that the molecules would create a non-ordered glass-like material, but due to the slow speed of decompression used, the benzene molecules ordered themselves into a naturally repeating crystal. The experiment took place at room-temperature. Early results indicate that these nanothreads are stronger than previously produced carbon nanotubes, and may have applications throughout the engineering industry.
The public and the press underestimate and understate the difficulty in mass-producing new materials. Just because we can make a little, enough to study, doesn't mean we can efficiently make more or that developing those methods will be trivial or guaranteed to succeed.
Carbon nanotube production is still a tangled mixed mess 25+ years after their discovery and study. Graphene production is improving but still not good enough for commercial use 10 years after its discovery and study. These diamond nanothreads look to require 25 GPa of pressure to create. That's not a trivial amount of pressure - it's several times that required to make synthetic diamond gems. Using this materials is going to depend on someone inventing a much easier method of production, probably some form of chemical vapor deposition, which is already used for diamond films, graphene and nanotubes.
The long work of developing those methods is less sexy than the initial discovery of a material or effect, and usually a gradual improvement rather than a single "eureka" moment. It's just now starting to be recognized as a scientific achievement (e.g. the invention of reliable, efficient blue LEDs just won the Nobel prize although the physical principles were clearly understood by others decades earlier).
According to the preview on the Nature site each carbon atom is linked to 3 other carbon atoms and one hydrogen. Plastic is a better description than diamond. "Normal" carbon nanotubes are closer to diamond than this.
The preview didn't call it a diamond by the way. It does equate it's properties to diamondoids and nanotubes.
Having said that, if the result is a non-toxic high tensile strength material that can be used to make a space elevator then I don't really care what they call it. It's cool anyway.
They could call it "Superdung" and I'd still love the stuff.
Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.