By Meghan Rosen
A glow-in-the dark, magnetic, stronger-than-diamond material might be a bizarre new form of carbon.
Scientists call it Q-carbon. After diamond and graphite, it’s the third known solid phase, or form, of the element, materials scientists Jagdish Narayan and Anagh Bhaumik report December 2 in the Journal of Applied Physics.
Q-carbon’s unusual properties make it ideal for all sorts of applications, Narayan says, from electronic displays to abrasive coatings on tools to biomedical sensors that are compatible with the body. The new material could also offer scientists an easy way to manufacture diamonds.