this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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10x Stronger Than Kevlar: Amorphous Silicon Carbide Could Revolutionize Material Science::A new material that doesn't just rival the strength of diamonds and graphene, but boasts a yield strength 10 times greater than Kevlar, renowned for its use in bulletproof vests. Researchers at Delft University of Technology, led by assistant professor Richard Norte, have unveiled a remarkable ne

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[–] Skyrmir 20 points 5 months ago (2 children)

So how much closer does this put us to a space elevator? Assuming mass production and fiber creation was even possible.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Interesting material considering that one issue with graphene and carbon nanotubes etc tends to be that small defects in the crystal lattice majorly affect its mechanical properties. And it is very difficult to manufacture things with no defects. This being an amorphous material could mean that it is much more robust to local defects. Though I only skimmed the article.

[–] Skyrmir 3 points 5 months ago

We might see improvement on some deposition materials after the recent discovery on dolomite crystal formation.

[–] Tinfoiledhat 5 points 5 months ago

Not as strong as graphene or nanotubes, but still limited to the nanoscale in production.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Wafer scale material. Nothing to see here, move along.

[–] Ghostalmedia 21 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Wafers get up to about a foot wide. That’s pretty dope for such a strong material.

And what finally sets this material apart is its scalability. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, is known for its impressive strength but is challenging to produce in large quantities. Diamonds, though immensely strong, are either rare in nature or costly to synthesize. Amorphous silicon carbide, on the other hand, can be produced at wafer scales, offering large sheets of this incredibly robust material.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Weird comment considering that graphene is regularly produced in wafer scale.

[–] RememberTheApollo 1 points 5 months ago

Yes, but according to the quote it seems that production of wafer scale is “more difficult”, even if it can be done with some regularity. Difficulty doesn’t mean impossible, it could simply mean a higher failure rate.

[–] Windex007 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I don't understand that unit of measurement. How many football fields is that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Approximately 1.72 SB (standard bananas)

[–] Alteon 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Can I get the equivalent length in adolescent ring-tail lemurs?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Ah, you again! My friend from Southern Madagascar! As previously discussed, at the NIST consortium on standards and measures, ARTLs are only to be used for standards of mass, and in cute memes. They ARE so adorable!!!

[–] CatPoop 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

10GPa is about 2 billion footballers piled on top of a football field.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It's about 1 millifurlong.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Word "could" means it will never happen

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Defense industry will make this happen if it's viable. War industry drives much of this. So we will see

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I'd be more sceptical if it said "will".

[–] curiousPJ 3 points 5 months ago

I wish the article gave better explanation to how hard it is rather than just stating that it's not brittle... Could revolutionize the cutting tools industry if it's harder than cubicBoronNitride (CBN).