New glass that is harder than diamond will find applications in various industries

Scientists from China have created a new type of glass that is harder than diamond. Diamond is one of the hardest

known materials and is often used forcutting harder materials. Normally a diamond can cut glass, but a new glass developed by researchers in northern China can itself scratch a diamond.

The product is currently called AM-III, but inthe name may change in the future. The glass is described as having a yellowish tint and is composed entirely of carbon. The Vickers hardness of AM-III glass is 113 GPa. For comparison, the Vickers hardness of natural diamond ranges from 50 to 70 GPa, while artificial diamonds can reach a hardness of 100 GPa.

The new type of glass has potential applications inseveral industries, although mass production is likely still many years away. For example, the material could be used to create bulletproof glass that is 20 to 100 times stronger than currently used materials. This material could also potentially find application in the technology industry.

AM-III – this is a semiconductoralmost as effective as silicon. Due to its high efficiency, this material can be used in the construction of extremely durable solar panels that can withstand large hail and other impacts. AM-III is structurally different from regular pieces of glass. When viewed under a microscope, the material has an ordered structure, similar to a crystal.

However, at lower magnification, the structure looksextremely disordered. The researchers say the combination of order and disorder gives the material unusual properties. The project's scientists claim that their creation has the highest proportion of ordered atoms and molecules compared to other materials with which they experimented, which gives AM-III an unprecedented strength.

Source: yahoo

Illustrations: afp

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