Chinese scientists develop glass as hard as a diamond
- It is hoped the transparent material, tentatively named AM-III, will have wide applications in the hi-tech industry
- AM-III is a semiconductor almost as efficient as silicon, with the ability to transfer electric current
Using a diamond to cut glass is not news, but a research team in northern China recently developed the world’s hardest glassy material that can leave a deep scratch on the surface of a diamond with ease.
The (tentatively named) AM-III, a transparent, somewhat yellowish material made entirely of carbon, reached 113 gigapascals (GPa) in a Vickers hardness test.
In comparison, a natural diamond stone usually scores 50 to 70, with some man-made pieces topping at 100 GPa.
Though mass production could be years away, and the price is unlikely to be cheap, a bulletproof window made with the AM-III could be 20 to 100 times tougher than some mainstream products currently in use.
The glassy material does not look as attractive as jewellery, but it has some wide applications in the hi-tech industry, the researchers say.