A group of chemists, headed by the Russian researcher Artem Oganov, predicted existence of three previously unknown forms of crystalline carbon, which will have higher density and reflecting capacity than diamonds have.
      
      Carbon atoms can form materials with radically different properties, like graphite and diamond, which both consist of carbon, but have different crystal lattice. A think-tank from United States, headed by Professor Oganov, performed computer modeling for various configurations of carbon atoms under various combinations of pressure and temperature.
      
      Modeling resulted in three configurations, marked as hP3, tI12 and tP12, which appeared to be stable enough to think about their synthesis. These materials will not be as hard as a diamond, but their density is predicted to be at least 1% higher than women’s best friend’s. High density means higher refraction coefficient and brighter shining. One of predicted modifications, tP12, is probably a nice candidate for superconductors. These materials can be synthesized from graphite and amorphous carbon under extremely high pressure.
      
      Source: RIA Novosti
Author: Anna Kizilova