Researchers have synthesized a new material with hardness comparable to that of diamonds

Researchers have synthesized a new material with hardness comparable to that of diamonds. Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature and can be used as an abrasive or coating for drill bits. According to a recent press release from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, a team of researchers from the university has synthesized a carbon nitride compound with hardness comparable to diamonds, which has the potential to become a versatile material with a wide range of industrial applications. In the late 1980s, the scientific community predicted that a certain form of carbon nitride compound could have a hardness even greater than that of diamonds, but laboratory sample preparation results were not ideal. The research team, composed of researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bayreuth in Germany, among other institutions, announced that they have synthesized a carbon nitride material with hardness comparable to diamonds and have measured its physical properties. The related paper was recently published in the international academic journal "Advanced Materials". The researchers applied pressures ranging from 70 gigapascals to 135 gigapascals (1 gigapascal is approximately equal to 10,000 times atmospheric pressure) to different carbon nitride precursors, while also heating these precursor materials to temperatures above 1500 degrees Celsius. Under these synthesis conditions, the researchers discovered three carbon nitride compounds that possess the necessary components for ultra-high hardness, and these compounds also retain diamond-like properties at normal temperature and pressure. Further calculations and experiments have shown that these compounds also have additional characteristics, including photoluminescence and high energy density. The researchers state that these carbon nitride compounds have enormous potential for applications and could become industrial materials comparable to diamonds. They may be used in the future for protective coatings for cars and spacecraft, highly durable Cutting Tools, solar panels, and optoelectronic detectors, among other things.