Diamond Nanothread Will Help Build 'Space Elevators'

Sep 25, 2014 09:08 AM EDT

The core of the nanothreads is a long, thin strand of carbon atoms arranged just like the fundamental unit of a diamond's structure -- zig-zag "cyclohexane" rings of six carbon atoms bound together, in which each carbon is surrounded by others in the stro

(Photo : Enshi Xu, Vincent Crespi lab, Penn State University) The core of the nanothreads is a long, thin strand of carbon atoms arranged just like the fundamental unit of a diamond's structure -- zig-zag "cyclohexane" rings of six carbon atoms bound together, in which each carbon is surrounded by others in the strong triangular-pyramid shape of a tetrahedron

Scientists were inspired by the intrinsic quality of diamonds that they developed a unique material that will be probably used for "space elevators" that will hopefully transport astronauts to space stations instead via spacecraft according to a study published in the journal, Nature Materials.

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According to John Badding and his team from Penn State University, they have devised a method where they can produce ultra-thin diamond nanothreads that possess incredible properties similar to diamonds such as remarkable strength and stiffness and signifcantly surpasses current polymers and nanotubes used today.

There were failed attempts that did not successfully compress carbon molecules to transform it into nanomaterial similar to diamonds, but Badding's team finally figured it out this time. The method consists of a process that slowly releases pressure and allows benzene to produce carbon atoms that form a tetrahedral configuration similar to a diamond.

Badding says that these nanothreads possess such incredible strength and stiffness that sp2 carbon nanotubes and other commercial high-strength polymers pale in comparison.

According to Malcolm Guthrie, co-author of the study from the Carnegie Institution for Science, they used Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Paris-Edinburgh device and applied an immense amount of pressure to compressed a 6 millimeter wide benzene in order to simulate the diamond-like quality of this nanomaterial.

They key to forming this nanomaterial was the right amount of pressure at normal room tempreature that allowed carbon atoms to react and form these carbon tetrahedrons and create diamond-core nanothreads, says Guthrie.

Apart from being extremely stiff and strong, this material is also exceptionally lightweight.

But Badding and his team prefers to shy away from commercial application, as they want to be involved with protecting the Earth's atmosphere and transportation that will hopefully include "space elevators" in the near future.

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