The lightest material in the world. The hardest materials: types, classification, characteristics, interesting facts and features, chemical and physical properties Lightweight strong sheet material
Lightweight and strong material by weight, like aluminum, but almost 25 times stronger due to the use of boron nitride nanotubes.
Description:
composite material based on aluminium. It is as light as aluminum but nearly 25 times stronger, making it comparable to steel. Strengthening is carried out using boron nitride nanotubes.Boron nitride nanotubes are structural analogues carbon nanotubes. Boron nitride (chemical formula: BN) is a binary compound of boron and nitrogen. Boron nitride, like carbon, can form one-atom-thick sheets that are rolled into cylinders to create nanotubes.
Boron nitride nanotubes. Scale bar - 1 micrometer:
Types of composites:
– nanocomposites created by metal deposition on nanotubes;
– a thin strip that looks like ordinary aluminum, but nanostructures are embedded in it. The strength of these structures exceeds steel by 50 times.
Advantages of boron nitride nanotubes:
- straight, elastic, their location is easier to control, achieving a uniform and, accordingly, more durable texture of the material;
– compared to carbon nanotubes, they are more stable at high temperatures;
– can be used for shielding neutron and ultraviolet radiation;
– have piezoelectric properties - they can generate an electric charge when stretched;
- Boron nitride is chemically passive, it reacts weakly with acids and solutions.
Material advantages:
- equipment made using light and durable material will become lighter, while retaining other important qualities;
– reduction of fuel consumption when transporting parts made of light and lasting material, increasing the range of movement and the volume of transported goods.
Lightweight and durable material can be used:
– in aircraft construction;
– in mechanical engineering;
– in construction varying degrees of complexity;
– in biomedicine, etc.
Sheet building materials are slabs that have certain dimensions, made from different materials using different technologies. Sheet materials are used both in construction and in finishing work. In addition, sheet material can be used to build partitions or to embody a variety of designer ideas. Working with this building material is not particularly difficult, and its proper processing will ensure a minimum amount of debris in the process of construction work. Installation of sheets to the ceiling or wall is carried out using a special crate, which is made of a metal profile or a wooden beam. Fasteners are made with self-tapping screws. Laying sheet materials on the floor is carried out using a special construction adhesive.
Below are the main types of sheet building materials.
wood fiber plate)
wood fiber plate) or hardboard- sawdust and small wood shavings pressed under the influence of high temperature with the use of a special additive for gluing. The additive serves as a binder, the content of which is rather low. This factor refers fiberboard to environmentally friendly building materials. Fiberboard refers to materials that can be used in rooms with low humidity. It cannot be used in wet areas. Most often used for leveling floors and walls, as well as in the manufacture of furniture. The sheets have a thickness of 3.2-5 mm.
Wood-laminated board (plywood)- material based on wood veneer. The peculiarity of this type of sheet material is that the layers of veneer are laid perpendicular to each other, and are connected by pressing with the introduction of a binder component. The material has high strength, hygroscopic. It is used for the manufacture of furniture, the construction of walls and the foundation for flooring. The plywood sheet has a thickness of 4 to 24 mm.
Plate oriented-chip (OSB)
Plate oriented-chip (OSB) - is made from thin chips up to 150 mm long by pressing, with the introduction of additional components. The components are resins, boric acid, synthetic wax. Refers to fairly durable types of sheet building materials. Used when performing roofing work, in the construction of frame-panel houses. One sheet has a thickness of 9-10 mm. There are three types of OSB: lacquered, laminated and tongue-and-groove.
Plasterboard sheet)
Plasterboard sheet) - the most common sheet material, the basis of which is gypsum, pasted over on both sides with cardboard. It is used both in the field of construction and in the decoration of individual premises. The sheet has a thickness of 7-12 mm. There are several types of drywall sheets: moisture-fire-resistant (GKLVO), fire-resistant (GKLO), moisture-resistant (GKLV), ordinary (GKL). Most often used in the construction of partitions and suspended ceiling structures, as well as for leveling walls.
Gypsum fiber sheet)
Gypsum fiber sheet) - a building material, which includes gypsum with loose cellulose waste paper. It differs from GKL in increased strength. Scope of application - dry floor screed, the creation of interior partitions, suspended ceilings. GVL is easy to use and easy to finish. The sheet has a thickness of 10-12.3 mm.
glass-magnesium sheet)
glass-magnesium sheet) - sheet finishing material, which is based on magnesia binder. High strength, sound insulation, elastic. Refers to refractory sheet materials. Amenable to finishing and machining. They are used in wet rooms as a base for flooring, as a facing material for the ceiling, when leveling walls, for installing interior partitions.
Wood fiber board (MDF)
Plate wood fiber co middle density(or an abbreviation for Medium Density Fibreboard) - is made by pressing wood chips (dry method) under high pressure and temperature. Carbide resins are used as adhesive composition. Used for furniture finishing, interior doors, as a decorative finish.
Plate woody-chip)
Plate woody-chip) - a material made from large-sized wood chips, connected with glue, under the influence of a press. This building material is easy to process, and also has a low cost compared to other sheet materials. Made from chipboard, panels for interior decoration. The downside is that during installation it is quite difficult to use fasteners. Self-tapping screws and screws are screwed badly.
Gypsum board plate)
Gypsum board plate) is a durable material made by pressing gypsum with wood chips without the use of glue and resins. The semi-dry method of production involves the addition of water and uniform application of chips over the entire surface area. This is done in order to increase the bearing capacity of the structure. GSP refers to environmentally friendly, safe building materials. The sheet density is 1250 kg/m3. They are used for facing internal walls, ceilings, floors, interior partitions. The combination of gypsum and wood shavings in the GSP provides the material with such properties as: good sound insulation (up to 32-35 dB), maintaining the balance of moisture exchange in the room, impact resistance, incombustibility, high strength. The front side of the plate has a light and smooth surface. Sheet thickness 8-12 mm. There are the following types of GSP: conventional and moisture resistant (GSPV).
Read more about GSP: Application, features of work and characteristics of gypsum boards (GSP)
Cement-chip plate)
Cement-chip plate) - a high-strength, moisture-resistant building product, made by combining cement with thin wood shavings. An additional component is a chemical additive that reduces the harmful effects of chips on cement. This material is distinguished by its durability, has good sound and heat insulation properties. These factors allow the use of plates as a material for wall cladding, both inside and outside the building in various climate conditions. DSP is easy to work and process, like wood. True, unlike the last DSP, it is not affected by insects, rodents, fungal bacteria. Cement provides good fire resistance. And wood shavings do not allow the plate to crack from frost or high air temperature.
Aquapanel
Aquapanel- moisture-resistant, sheet, composite material, the basis of which is cement (without asbestos admixture) and mesh fiberglass. As an additive, a mineral filler is used - expanded clay of a fine fraction, which acts as a "core". Fiberglass is laid in a uniform layer on the entire surface of the panel. The edges of the building material are rounded. The product is environmentally friendly, due to the absence of asbestos and organic substances in the composition. Scope of application - finishing work inside and outside the premises (facades, cladding, partitions). The plate has a high resistance to mechanical stress and high levels of air humidity, so it will not deform during operation. The material is not subject to decay. The edges of the aquapanel are trimmed and the edges are reinforced. The thickness of the sheet material is 12.5 mm.
Read more about Aquapanels: The use of aquapanels, features of work and technical characteristics
Asbestos cardboard (Asbestos cardboard)- building material, which is made on the basis of chrysolite asbestos fiber, with the addition of a binder component (starch). This type of sheet material is fire-resistant, has insulating properties, high mechanical strength, alkali resistance, and durability. Asbestos cardboard sheets are used for fire protection and thermal insulation, for sealing the joints of equipment and communications. There are three types of it: KAON-1, KAON-2 - general purpose; KAP - gasket. The method of laying on an insulated surface does not require special work skills and the use of special tools. The thickness of the sheet material is 1.3-10 mm depending on the type.
Asbestos-cement electrotechnical board) - sheet material based on cement. It is a solid board or slab. This kind of sheet material has high temperature resistance and high voltage resistance. ACEID is used as a finishing material for furnaces, for the manufacture of electrical panels, fences for electric furnaces, etc. That is, where high strength and high voltage protection are needed. Also used in the decoration of the facade of the building, the creation of building partitions. Used as a soundproofing material. Almost does not pass water and electric current. It is used as a base for electrical machines and apparatuses, in the production of crucible and induction furnaces, bodies for arc quenching chambers. The thickness of the aceid can be from 6 to 40 mm. Requires a special tool to cut it.
Read more about Atseid: Properties and scope of asbestos-cement board (Aceid)
enamelled glass (EMALITE, STEMALIT)
enamelled glass (EMALITE, STEMALIT) - resistant to aggressive environments (acids, alkalis) glass, coated on one side with enameled paint. Paint of various colors is applied to the glass surface, after which it is hardened. The product is not exposed to high humidity, has physical resistance to abrasion (scratches), has mechanical strength. Quite widely used in facade and interior glazing, as a functional or decorative element. Used in building cladding (inside and outside); production of equipment, furniture, wall panels, all-glass doors; installation of interior partitions.
Read more about enamelled glass: Enamelled glass (Stemalit)
Conclusion. The article presents the main types and characteristics of sheet materials used in construction and repair, as well as the area of \u200b\u200bits greatest application and methods for processing each of the types described above.
Each of you knows that diamond remains the standard of hardness today. When determining the mechanical hardness of materials existing on earth, the hardness of diamond is taken as a standard: when measured by the Mohs method - in the form of a surface sample, by the Vickers or Rockwell methods - as an indenter (as a harder body when examining a body with lower hardness). To date, several materials can be noted, the hardness of which approaches the characteristics of diamond.
In this case, the original materials are compared based on their microhardness according to the Vickers method, when the material is considered superhard at values of more than 40 GPa. The hardness of materials can vary, depending on the characteristics of the synthesis of the sample or the direction of the load applied to it.
Fluctuations in hardness values from 70 to 150 GPa is a generally established concept for hard materials, although 115 GPa is considered to be a reference value. Let's take a look at the 10 hardest materials other than diamond that exist in nature.
10. Boron suboxide (B 6 O) - hardness up to 45 GPa
Boron suboxide has the ability to create grains shaped like icosahedrons. The formed grains in this case are not isolated crystals or varieties of quasicrystals, representing a kind of twin crystals, consisting of two dozen paired crystals-tetrahedra.
10. Rhenium diboride (ReB 2) - hardness 48 GPa
Many researchers question whether this material can be classified as a superhard type of material. This is due to the highly unusual mechanical properties of the compound.
The layer-by-layer alternation of different atoms makes this material anisotropic. Therefore, the measurement of hardness indicators turns out to be different in the presence of different types of crystallographic planes. Thus, testing rhenium diboride at low loads provides a hardness of 48 GPa, and with increasing load, the hardness becomes much less and is approximately 22 GPa.
8. Magnesium aluminum boride (AlMgB 14) - hardness up to 51 GPa
The composition is a mixture of aluminum, magnesium, boron with low sliding friction, as well as high hardness. These qualities could be a godsend for the production of modern machines and mechanisms that work without lubrication. But the use of the material in such a variation is still considered prohibitively expensive.
AlMgB14 - special thin films created by pulsed laser deposition, have the ability to have microhardness up to 51 GPa.
7. Boron-carbon-silicon - hardness up to 70 GPa
The basis of such a connection provides the alloy with qualities that imply optimal resistance to chemical influences of a negative type and high temperature. Such material is provided with microhardness up to 70 GPa.
6. Boron carbide B 4 C (B 12 C 3) - hardness up to 72 GPa
Another material is boron carbide. The substance began to be used quite actively in various fields of industry almost immediately after its invention in the 18th century.
The microhardness of the material reaches 49 GPa, but it has been proven that this indicator can also be increased by adding argon ions to the structure of the crystal lattice - up to 72 GPa.
5. Carbon-boron nitride - hardness up to 76 GPa
Researchers and scientists from all over the world have long been trying to synthesize complex superhard materials, in which tangible results have already been achieved. The components of the compound are boron, carbon and nitrogen atoms - similar in size. The qualitative hardness of the material reaches 76 GPa.
4. Nanostructured cubonite - hardness up to 108 GPa
The material is also called kingsongite, borazone or elbor, and also has unique qualities that are successfully used in modern industry. With cubonite hardness values of 80-90 GPa, close to the diamond standard, the strength of the Hall-Petch law can cause their significant growth.
This means that with a decrease in the size of crystalline grains, the hardness of the material increases - there are certain possibilities for increasing up to 108 GPa.
3. Wurtzite boron nitride - hardness up to 114 GPa
The wurtzite crystal structure provides high hardness to this material. With local structural modifications, during the application of a specific type of load, the bonds between atoms in the lattice of a substance are redistributed. At this point, the quality hardness of the material becomes 78% higher.
Lonsdaleite is an allotropic modification of carbon and is distinctly similar to diamond. A solid natural material was discovered in a meteorite crater, formed from graphite, one of the meteorite components, but it did not have a record degree of strength.
Scientists have proven back in 2009 that the absence of impurities can provide a hardness exceeding the hardness of diamond. High hardness values can be achieved in this case, as in the case of wurtzite boron nitride.
Polymerized fullerite is now considered the hardest material known to science. This is a structured molecular crystal, the nodes of which are composed of whole molecules, and not of individual atoms.
Fullerite has a hardness of up to 310 GPa and is capable of scratching a diamond surface like normal plastic. As you can see, diamond is no longer the hardest natural material in the world, harder compounds are available to science.
So far, these are the hardest materials on Earth known to science. It is quite possible that soon we will have new discoveries and a breakthrough in the field of chemistry / physics, which will allow us to achieve higher hardness.
The lightest material in the world January 8th, 2014
If you follow the latest in the world of modern technology, then this material will not be big news for you. However, it is useful to take a closer look at the lightest material in the world and learn a little more detail.
Less than a year ago, the title of the lightest material in the world was given to a material called airbrush. But this material did not manage to hold the palm for a long time, it was intercepted not so long ago by another carbon material called graphene airgel. Created by a research group in the laboratory of the Division of Polymer Science and Technology at Zhejiang University, led by Professor Gao Chao, the ultralight graphene airgel has a density slightly lower than that of helium gas and slightly higher than that of hydrogen gas.
Aerogels, as a class of materials, were developed and produced in 1931 by engineer and chemist Samuel Stephens Kistler. Since then, scientists from various organizations have been researching and developing such materials, despite their dubious value for practical use. An airgel composed of multilayer carbon nanotubes, dubbed "frozen smoke" and having a density of 4 mg/cm3, lost the title of the lightest material in 2011, which passed to a metal microlattice material with a density of 0.9 mg/cm3. And a year later, the title of the lightest material passed to a carbon material called aerographite, whose density is 0.18 mg / cm3.
The new holder of the title of the lightest material, graphene airgel, created by the team of Professor Chao, has a density of 0.16 mg/cm3. In order to create such a lightweight material, scientists used one of the most amazing and thin materials to date - graphene. Using their experience in creating microscopic materials, such as "one-dimensional" graphene fibers and two-dimensional graphene ribbons, the team decided to add another dimension to the two dimensions of graphene and create a bulk porous graphene material.
Instead of the molding method, which uses a solvent material and which is usually used to produce various aerogels, Chinese scientists have used the freeze-drying method. Sublimation drying of a cooloid solution consisting of a liquid filler and graphene particles made it possible to create a porous carbon sponge, the shape of which almost completely repeated the given shape.
“There is no need to use templates, the size and shape of the carbon ultralight material we create depends only on the shape and dimensions of the container,” says Professor Chao, “The amount of airgel produced depends only on the size of the container, which can have a volume measured in thousands of cubic centimeters.”
The resulting graphene airgel is an extremely strong and resilient material. It can absorb organic materials, including oil, weighing up to 900 times its own weight with a high absorption rate. One gram of airgel absorbs 68.8 grams of oil in just one second, making it an attractive material to use as an absorber for oil spilled in the ocean.
In addition to serving as an oil scavenger, graphene airgel has the potential to be used in energy storage systems, as a catalyst for some chemical reactions, and as a filler for complex composite materials.
The definition of strength refers to the ability of materials to resist destruction as a result 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 believe that the hardest material in the world is diamond, but is it really true?
General information:
Opening date - early 60s;
Pioneers - Sladkov, Kudryavtsev, Korshak, Kasatkin;
Density - 1.9-2 g / cm3.
Recently, scientists from Austria have completed work on establishing a sustainable production of carbine, which is an allotropic form of carbon based on the sp hybridization of carbon atoms. Its strength indicators are 40 times higher than those of diamond. Information about this was placed in one of the issues of the scientific printed periodical "Nature Materials".
After a thorough study of its properties, the scientists explained that in terms of strength it cannot be compared with any previously discovered and studied material. However, significant difficulties arose during the production process: the structure of carbine is formed from carbon atoms assembled in long chains, as a result of which it begins to break down during the production process.
To eliminate the identified snag, physicists from the public university in Vienna created a special protective coating in which carbine was synthesized. Graphene layers stacked on top of each other and rolled into a "thermos" were used as a protective coating. While physicists struggled to achieve stable shapes, they found out that the electrical properties of a material are affected by the length of the atomic chain.
Researchers have not learned how to extract carbine from a protective coating without damage, so the study of a new material continues, scientists are guided only by the relative stability of atomic chains.
Carbin 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 a detailed description of the discovery of the material in 1967 appeared on the pages of one of the largest scientific journals - “Reports of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR”. Fifteen 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 found in interstellar space.
General information:
Pioneers - Geim, Novoselov;
Thermal conductivity - 1 TPa.
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotropic modification of carbon, in which atoms are combined into a hexagonal lattice. Despite the high strength of graphene, the thickness of its layer is 1 atom.
The pioneers of the material were Russian physicists, Andrey Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. In their own country, the scientists did not secure financial support 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, the area of which is one square meter, and the thickness is one atom, objects weighing up to four kilograms are freely held. In addition to being a highly durable material, graphene is also very flexible. From a material with such characteristics, in the future it will be possible to weave threads and other rope structures that are not inferior in strength to a thick steel rope. Under certain conditions, the material discovered by Russian physicists can cope with damage in 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, found in a meteorite funnel, 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 indicators, however, it was proved that if there are no impurities in it, then it will in no way be inferior to the high hardness of 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 of wurtzite boron nitride, which is a compound of boron with nitrogen, are thermal and chemical resistance and fire resistance. The material can be of different crystalline form. For example, graphite is the softest, but stable, it is used in cosmetology. The sphalerite structure in the crystal lattice is similar to diamonds, but 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 Gn / m2;
Strength - 4 Gn / m2;
The year of discovery of metallic glass is 1960.
Metallic glass is a material with a high hardness index, 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 KST - 0.25-0.3 MJ / m2;
Elastic limit - 1500 MPa;
KCU - 0.4-0.6 MJ / m2.
Maraging steels are iron alloys with high impact strength without losing ductility. Despite these characteristics, the material does not hold the cutting edge. The alloys obtained by heat treatment are low-carbon substances that take strength from intermetallic compounds. The composition of the alloy includes nickel, cobalt and other carbide-forming elements. This type of high-strength, high-alloy steel is easy to process, this is due to the low content of carbon in its composition. A material with such characteristics has found application in the aerospace field, it is used as a coating for rocket bodies.
Osmium
General information:
Opening year - 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 platinoids. Osmium, having a high atomic density, exceptional refractoriness, brittleness, high strength, hardness and resistance to mechanical stress and aggressive environmental influences, is widely used in surgery, measuring technology, the 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. The structure of composite materials can be either unidirectional or three-dimensional. Due to these qualities, composites are widely used in various fields, 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. Officially, this type of spider was discovered in 2010. Scientists, first of all, were interested in the webs woven by arthropods. The diameter of the circles on the carrier thread can reach up to two meters. Darwin's web is more durable than synthetic Kevlar used in the aviation and automotive industries.
General information:
Thermal conductivity - 900-2300 W / (m × K);
Melting temperature at a pressure of 11 GPa - 3700-4000 degrees Celsius;
Density - 3.47-3.55 g / cm3;
The refractive index is 2.417-2.419.
Diamond in ancient Greek means "indestructible", but scientists have discovered 9 more elements that surpass it in terms of strength. Despite the endless existence of diamond in an ordinary environment, at high temperature and an inert gas, it can turn into graphite. Diamond is a reference element (on the Mohs scale), which has one of the highest hardness values. It, like many precious stones, is characterized by luminescence, which allows it to shine when exposed to sunlight.