Lightweight and durable thin material. Chinese scientists have created the world's lightest solid material. Neutron star core and its density

A simply brilliant discovery was made by Chinese scientists. It was they who revealed to the world the lightest material on earth. Its mass is so small that it is easily held on the petals of the flower. The composition of the amazing material includes graphene oxide and lyof

A simply brilliant discovery was made by Chinese scientists. It was they who revealed to the world the lightest material on earth. Its mass is so small that it is easily held on the petals of the flower. The amazing material contains graphene oxide and lyophilized carbon. Graphene matter has an interesting spongy structure, and weighs only 0.16 mg/cm3. It is thanks to this airgel structure that the material is the lightest solid material in the world. Many practical and incredible discoveries are already predicted for this unique discovery. Graphene in its native form is a two-dimensional crystal. In addition, it is the thinnest hand-made material on earth. Just imagine that in order to achieve a column height of 1 millimeter, it is necessary to fold 3 million plates of the miracle material one to one. But such a structure, at first glance, is fragile, but it is not at all.
Graphene is also incredibly durable and strong. A sheet of such material, one thickness plastic bag, can easily support the weight of one elephant. But this is not all the merits of graphene. In addition to its amazing strength and strength, it is also surprisingly flexible. Without any loss or disruption of the structure, the material can be stretched by 20% of the total size. Moreover, scientists recently managed to discover another unique property of graphene. It can be used to filter water, trapping various harmful gases and liquids inside the material.

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The definition of strength means the ability of materials not to succumb to destruction as a result of the influence of external forces and factors leading to internal stress. Materials with high strength have a wide range of applications. In nature, there are not only hard metals and durable wood species, but also artificially created high-strength materials. Many people are confident that the most durable material in the world it is a diamond, but is it really so?

General information:

Opening date: early 60s;

Discoverers - Sladkov, Kudryavtsev, Korshak, Kasatkin;

Density – 1.9-2 g/cm3.

Recently, scientists from Austria completed work on establishing the sustainable production of carbyne, which is an allotropic form of carbon based on sp-hybridization of carbon atoms. Its strength indicators are 40 times higher than those of diamond. Information about this was published in one of the issues of the scientific printed periodical “Nature Materials”.

After carefully studying its properties, scientists explained that its strength cannot be compared with any previously discovered and studied material. However, the production process encountered significant difficulties: the structure of carbyne is formed from carbon atoms collected in long chains, as a result of which it begins to break down during the manufacturing process.

To eliminate the identified problem, physicists from the public university in Vienna created a special protective coating in which carbyne was synthesized. As protective coating layers of graphene were used, placed on top of each other and rolled into a “thermos”. While physicists worked hard to achieve stable forms, they discovered that the electrical properties of a material are affected by the length of the atomic chain.

Researchers have not learned how to extract carbyne from a protective coating without damage, so the study of the new material continues, scientists are guided only by the relative stability of atomic chains.

Carbyne is a little-studied allotropic modification of carbon, the discoverers of which were Soviet chemists: A.M. Sladkov, Yu.P. Kudryavtsev, V.V. Korshak and V.I. Kasatochkin. Information about the result of the experiment with detailed description the discovery of the material in 1967 appeared on the pages of one of the largest scientific journals - “Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences”. 15 years later, an article appeared in the American scientific journal Science that cast doubt on the results obtained by Soviet chemists. It turned out that the signals assigned to the little-studied allotropic modification of carbon could be associated with the presence of silicate impurities. Over the years, similar signals have been discovered in interstellar space.

General information:

Discoverers – Geim, Novoselov;

Thermal conductivity – 1 TPa.

Graphene is a two-dimensional allotropic modification of carbon in which the atoms are combined into a hexagonal lattice. Despite the high strength of graphene, the thickness of its layer is 1 atom.

The discoverers of the material were Russian physicists, Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. The scientists did not receive financial support in their own country and decided to move to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In 2010, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize.

On a sheet of graphene whose area is equal to one square meter, and the thickness is one atom, objects weighing up to four kilograms can be held freely. In addition to being a highly durable material, graphene is also very flexible. In the future, from a material with such characteristics it will be possible to weave threads and other rope structures that are not inferior in strength to thick steel rope. Under certain conditions, the material discovered by Russian physicists can cope with damage to the crystal structure.

General information:

Year of opening: 1967;

Color – brown-yellow;

Measured density – 3.2 g/cm3;

Hardness – 7-8 units on the Mohs scale.

The structure of lonsdaleite, discovered in a meteorite crater, is similar to diamond; both materials are allotropic modifications of carbon. Most likely, as a result of the explosion, graphite, which is one of the components of the meteorite, turned into lonsdaleite. At the time of discovery of the material, scientists did not note high hardness levels, however, it was proven that if there are no impurities in it, it will not be inferior in any way high hardness diamond

General information about boron nitride:

Density – 2.18 g/cm3;

Melting point – 2973 degrees Celsius;

Crystal structure – hexagonal lattice;

Thermal conductivity – 400 W/(m×K);

Hardness – less than 10 units on the Mohs scale.

The main differences between wurtzite boron nitride, which is a compound of boron and nitrogen, are the thermal and chemical resistance and fire resistance. The material can have different crystalline forms. For example, graphite is the softest, but at the same time stable, it is used in cosmetology. The sphalerite structure in the crystal lattice is similar to diamonds, but is inferior in terms of softness, while having better chemical and thermal resistance. Such properties of wurtzite boron nitride make it possible to use it in equipment for high-temperature processes.

General information:

Hardness – 1000 H/m2;

Strength – 4 Gn/m2;

The year of discovery of metallic glass was 1960.

Metallic glass is a material with a high hardness and a disordered structure at the atomic level. The main difference between the structure of metallic glass and ordinary glass is its high electrical conductivity. Such materials are obtained as a result of a solid-state reaction, rapid cooling or ion irradiation. Scientists have learned to invent amorphous metals, the strength of which is 3 times greater than that of steel alloys.

General information:

Elastic limit – 1500 MPa;

KCU – 0.4-0.6 MJ/m2.

General information:

Impact strength of KST – 0.25-0.3 MJ/m2;

Elastic limit – 1500 MPa;

KCU – 0.4-0.6 MJ/m2.

Maraging steels are iron alloys that have high impact strength without losing their ductility. Despite these characteristics, the material does not hold cutting edge. Alloys obtained by heat treatment are low-carbon substances that take their strength from intermetallic compounds. The alloy contains nickel, cobalt and other carbide-forming elements. This type of high-strength, high-alloy steel is easy to process, due to the low carbon content in its composition. A material with such characteristics has found application in the aerospace field; it is used as a coating for missile casings.

Osmium

General information:

Year of opening – 1803;

The lattice structure is hexagonal;

Thermal conductivity – (300 K) (87.6) W/(m×K);

Melting point – 3306 K.

A shiny, bluish-white metal with high strength belongs to the platinum group. Osmium, having a high atomic density, exceptional refractoriness, fragility, high strength, hardness and resistance to mechanical stress and aggressive influence environment, is widely used in surgery, instrumentation, chemical industry, electron microscopy, rocketry and electronic equipment.

General information:

Density – 1.3-2.1 t/m3;

The strength of carbon fiber is 0.5-1 GPa;

The modulus of elasticity of high-strength carbon fiber is 215 GPa.

Carbon-carbon composites are materials that consist of a carbon matrix, which in turn is reinforced with carbon fibers. The main characteristics of composites are high strength, flexibility and impact strength. Structure composite materials can be either unidirectional or three-dimensional. Due to these qualities, composites are widely used in various areas, including the aerospace industry.

General information:

The official year of discovery of the spider is 2010;

>The impact strength of the web is 350 MJ/m3.

For the first time, a spider weaving huge webs was discovered near Africa, on the island state of Madagascar. This species of spider was officially discovered in 2010. Scientists were primarily interested in the webs woven by arthropods. The diameter of the circles on the supporting thread can reach up to two meters. The strength of Darwin's web exceeds that of synthetic Kevlar used in the aviation and automotive industries.

General information:

Thermal conductivity – 900-2300 W/(m×K);

Melting point at a pressure of 11 GPa – 3700-4000 degrees Celsius;

Density – 3.47-3.55 g/cm3;

Refractive index – 2.417-2.419.

Diamond, translated from ancient Greek, means “indestructible,” but scientists have discovered 9 more elements that are superior to it in terms of strength. Despite the endless existence of diamond in an ordinary environment, when high temperature and inert gas it can turn into graphite. Diamond is the standard element (on the Mohs scale), which has one of the highest hardness values. For him, as for many precious stones, is characterized by luminescence, allowing it to shine when exposed to sunlight.

Durable materials have a wide range of uses. There is not only the hardest metal, but also the hardest and most durable wood, as well as the most durable artificially created materials.

Where are the most durable materials used?

The tensile strength of this electrically conductive fiber is three times higher than that of the web of an orb-weaving spider. The resulting material is used to make ultra-light body armor and sports equipment. The name of another durable material is ONNEX, created by order of the US Department of Defense. In addition to its use in the production of body armor, new material can also be used in flight control systems, sensors, engines.

There is a technology developed by scientists, thanks to which strong, hard, transparent and lightweight materials are obtained through the transformation of aerogels. Based on them, it is possible to produce lightweight body armor, armor for tanks and durable building materials.

Novosibirsk scientists have invented a plasma reactor of a new principle, thanks to which it is possible to produce nanotubulene - ultra-strong artificial material. This material was discovered twenty years ago. It is a mass of elastic consistency. It consists of plexuses that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The thickness of the walls of these plexuses is one atom.

The fact that the atoms seem to be nested into each other according to the “Russian doll” principle makes nanotubulene the most durable material of all known. When this material is added to concrete, metal, and plastic, their strength and electrical conductivity are significantly enhanced. Nanotubulene will help make cars and planes more durable. If the new material comes into widespread production, then roads, houses, and equipment can become very durable. It will be very difficult to destroy them. Nanotubulene has not yet been introduced into widespread production due to its very high cost. However, Novosibirsk scientists managed to significantly reduce the cost of this material. Now nanotubulene can be produced not in kilograms, but in tons.

The hardest metal

This metal is used in industry, smelting chromium steel, nichrome, and so on. It is used for anti-corrosion and decorative coatings. Stone meteorites falling to Earth are very rich in chromium.

The most durable tree

Wood is one and a half times stronger than cast iron, and its bending strength is approximately equal to that of iron. Because of these properties, iron birch could sometimes replace metal, because this wood is not subject to corrosion and rotting. The hull of a ship made of Iron Birch does not even need to be painted; the ship will not be destroyed by corrosion, and it is also not afraid of acids.

A Schmidt birch cannot be pierced by a bullet; you cannot cut it down with an axe. Of all the birches on our planet, the Iron Birch is the longest-living one - it lives for four hundred years. Its habitat is the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve. This is a rare protected species that is listed in the Red Book. If it were not for such rarity, the ultra-strong wood of this tree could be used everywhere.

But the tallest trees in the world, redwoods, are not very durable material.

The strongest material in the Universe

Graphene will soon leave scientific laboratories. All scientists in the world today talk about its unique properties. So, a few grams of material will be enough to cover an entire football field. Graphene is very flexible and can be folded, bent, or rolled.

Possible areas of its use: solar panels, cell phones, touch screens, super-fast computer chips.
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Osmium is currently defined as the heaviest substance on the planet. Just one cubic centimeter of this substance weighs 22.6 grams. It was discovered in 1804 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant; when gold was dissolved in a test tube, a precipitate remained. This happened due to the peculiarity of osmium; it is insoluble in alkalis and acids.

The heaviest element on the planet

It is a bluish-white metallic powder. It occurs in nature in seven isotopes, six of which are stable and one is unstable. It is slightly denser than iridium, which has a density of 22.4 grams per cubic centimeter. Of the materials discovered to date, the heaviest substance in the world is osmium.

It belongs to the group of lanthanum, yttrium, scandium and other lanthanides.

More expensive than gold and diamonds

Very little of it is mined, about ten thousand kilograms per year. Even the largest source of osmium, the Dzhezkazgan deposit, contains about three ten-millionth parts. The market value of the rare metal in the world reaches about 200 thousand dollars per gram. Moreover, the maximum purity of the element during the purification process is about seventy percent.

Although Russian laboratories managed to obtain a purity of 90.4 percent, the amount of metal did not exceed several milligrams.

Density of matter beyond planet Earth

Osmium is undoubtedly the leader of the heaviest elements on our planet. But if we turn our gaze into space, then our attention will reveal many substances heavier than our “king” of heavy elements.

The fact is that in the Universe there are conditions somewhat different than on Earth. The gravity of the series is so great that the substance becomes incredibly dense.

If we consider the structure of the atom, we will find that the distances in the interatomic world are somewhat reminiscent of the space we see. Where planets, stars and others are at a fairly large distance. The rest is occupied by emptiness. This is exactly the structure that atoms have, and with strong gravity this distance decreases quite significantly. Up to the “pressing” of some elementary particles into others.

Neutron stars are super-dense space objects

By searching beyond our Earth, we may find the heaviest matter in space in neutron stars.

These are quite unique space inhabitants, one of the possible types of stellar evolution. The diameter of such objects ranges from 10 to 200 kilometers, with a mass equal to our Sun or 2-3 times more.

This cosmic body mainly consists of a neutron core, which consists of flowing neutrons. Although according to some scientists' assumptions it should be in solid state, there is no reliable information available today. However, it is known that it is neutron stars that, having reached their compression limit, subsequently transform into a colossal release of energy, on the order of 10 43 -10 45 joules.

The density of such a star is comparable, for example, to the weight of Mount Everest placed in Matchbox. This is hundreds of billions of tons in one cubic millimeter. For example, to make it more clear how high the density of matter is, let’s take our planet with its mass of 5.9 × 1024 kg and “turn” it into a neutron star.

As a result, to equal the density neutron star, it needs to be reduced to the size of an ordinary apple, with a diameter of 7-10 centimeters. The density of unique stellar objects increases as you move toward the center.

Layers and density of matter

The outer layer of the star is represented in the form of a magnetosphere. Directly below it, the density of the substance already reaches about one ton per cubic centimeter. Given our knowledge of the Earth, on this moment, this is the heaviest substance of the discovered elements. But don't rush to conclusions.

Let's continue our research into unique stars. They are also called pulsars because high speed rotation around its axis. This indicator for various objects ranges from several tens to hundreds of revolutions per second.

Let us proceed further in the study of superdense cosmic bodies. This is followed by a layer that has the characteristics of a metal, but is likely similar in behavior and structure. The crystals are much smaller than we see in crystal lattice Earthly substances. To build a line of 1 centimeter crystals, you will need to lay out more than 10 billion elements. The density in this layer is one million times higher than in the outer layer. This is not the heaviest material in the star. Next comes a layer rich in neutrons, the density of which is a thousand times higher than the previous one.

Neutron star core and its density

Below is the core, this is where the density reaches its maximum - twice as high as the overlying layer. Core matter celestial body consists of all elementary particles known to physics. With this, we have reached the end of the journey to the core of a star in search of the heaviest substance in space.

The mission in search of substances unique in density in the Universe seems to be completed. But space is full of mysteries and undiscovered phenomena, stars, facts and patterns.

Black holes in the Universe

You should pay attention to what is already open today. These are black holes. Perhaps these are the ones mysterious objects may be contenders that the heaviest matter in the Universe is their component. Note that the gravity of black holes is so strong that light cannot escape.

According to scientists, matter drawn into the space-time region becomes so dense that the spaces between elementary particles doesn't remain.

Unfortunately, beyond the event horizon (the so-called boundary where light and any object, under the influence of gravity, cannot leave black hole) our guesses and indirect assumptions based on the emissions of particle fluxes follow.

A number of scientists suggest that space and time mix beyond the event horizon. There is an opinion that they may be a “passage” to another Universe. Perhaps this is true, although it is quite possible that beyond these limits another space opens up with completely new laws. An area where time exchanges “place” with space. The location of the future and the past is determined simply by the choice of following. Like our choice to go right or left.

It is potentially possible that there are civilizations in the Universe that have mastered time travel through black holes. Perhaps in the future people from planet Earth will discover the secret of traveling through time.