The hardest substance that has been known to man for ages is diamond. It’s a rare and naturally-occurring stone formed from carbon, and in large quantities, it’s very expensive.
Fortunately for manufacturers that use diamond for any kind of manufacturing process, whether it’s specific tooling or creating products, scientists now claim they can make a substance that is similar to diamond, but is actually harder.
By pulsating a powerful laser at carbon particles, researchers have been able to create diamond-like seeds that can be used to form larger gems. Scientists are calling the substance Q-Carbon.
What’s more is the researchers say they would be able to create a whole karat of diamonds within just 15 minutes, which means not only would the process would cost-effective for manufacturers that need something this hard for their materials and/or tooling, but it would also be easily obtainable.
The method to create Q-Carbon is reportedly easier than creating other forms of diamond wannabes, because it can be done at room temperature and the process is faster. The only downside is the yield of actual product is smaller than creating other forms of diamond wannabes.
Currently, the possibilities for such a substance are endless. Diamond-like materials are heavily needed in various trades. The new Q-Carbon could be useful in all of these situations, but it is still a 50/50 shot on whether or not this would become adopted by the public market quickly or not.
The researchers are currently waiting for the market to respond to the new discovery to see if it would be worth researching further.
Source: Journal of Applied Physics via New York Times