The discovery was made possible through the use of a Frontier supercomputer and molecular dynamics simulations of millions of atoms. Research revealed a new crystalline form of carbon that is much more resistant to known materials.
For many decades, the hardest material known to all of humanity was diamondbut a new finding made by researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of South Florida (USF), in the United States, completely demolished this claim.
After several studies and analyses, the team discovered BC8a new crystalline form of carbonthat exceeds by 30% the endurance to the understanding of traditional and well-known diamonds.
He find was possible thanks to the use of simulations of molecular dynamics of millions of carbon atoms under extreme conditions, which determined that BC8 can exist stably. The research was carried out with the Frontier supercomputerlocated at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility.
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What features does the BC8 have?
This material stands out for its shape tetraedicthat is, a form of pyramid with triangular base and three sides, and for lacking “cleavage planes” that weaken the structure of diamonds and give them a unique characteristic.
Regarding the origin and development of this crystalline form, studies indicated that it could form naturally on exoplanets rich in carbon, whose extreme conditions would facilitate their creation, as explained Ivan Oleynikco-author of the study and professor at USF.
“A in-depth understanding of the properties of the BC8 carbon phase becomes critical for the development of accurate interior models of these exoplants,” added Oleynik. Speculation that carbon could take this form has been going on since the 1980s, and it has now been determined that it would only be possible in a high pressure region and temperature.
After several years of attempts and tests with the BC8, it was only with advances in computer simulations that the specific conditions in which this material is capable of forming: “Thanks to the efficient implementation of this potential in the Frontier based on GPUwe can now accurately simulate the temporal evolution of billions of carbon atoms under extreme conditions at experimental time and length scales,” determined the co-author of the study.
Source: Ambito
