Researchers at Stony Brook University have discovered a new phase of elemental boron, created in the laboratory under extremely high pressures.The new phase of boron is stable at high temperatures and at pressures as great as 100,000 times atmospheric pressure. The atomic structure of this phase consists of two substructures stacked together, with a matrix of 12 spherical boron atoms that includes two-atom "dumbbell" pairs. The two substructures form ionic bonds, the first time this type of bond has been observed in structures consisting of only one element.
Developed independently in two different laboratories in 2004, scientists were unable to determine how or why this phase was created. Computational analysis using a specially developed algorithm allowed researchers to encode the crystal structure and allow the program to find the optimal arrangement, thus confirming the properties of the newly discovered material.
Three phases of boron were previously known, with some uncertainty about its naturally stable form. This fourth phase is not as hard as diamond but has better heat-resistant properties, which may lend itself to industrial applications.
This research was published online in the January 28th edition of Nature.
Source: New York Times
No comments:
Post a Comment