 |
DIAMONDOID: What is it? Where does it come from? Who is making it? How can it transform the world and industry? These and other questions are what I am going to answer.
Diamondoid is a class of strong, lightweight, hard materials with the basic structure of diamond. They include standard diamond (pure tetrahedral carbon crystal), fullerenes, graphene, hexagonal diamond, stiff hydrocarbons, hydrogen-carbon stiff crystalline polymers, and, non-carbon materials such as quartz, boron-nitride, silicon-carbide, adamantane, carbon-nitride, and related materials. Unlike naturally-occuring diamond which is hard but brittle, synthetic diamondoid is tough and flexible as well as hard and strong. It can be elastic and flexible, as well.
In its natural state, diamond is transparent, or, has color shades based on various molecules and atoms that are integrated into its molecular structure. Diamondoid can be given any shade or pattern of color, through the use of surface engineering and adding other atoms to the molecular matrix. Natural diamondoids are often found in deposits of petroleum and other hydrocarbons, and, fullerenes are formed in the presence of any carbon flame that burns and produces soot. Fullerene is basically a soccer-ball shaped pentagon and hexagon type of carbon molecule, and also can be formed into perfect molecular nanotube fibers which are like rolled up sheets of graphite/graphene. These are a hundred times stronger than steel and a fraction of the weight, and transmit electricity better than copper.
Diamondoid can be used in place of metal, stone, wood, plastic, or any rigid material. Diamondoid can also be used to simulate nearly any other material, once molecular-level control is available, including soft materials. Eventually we can build "smart matter" using diamondoid and other materials, such as artificial muscles made of fullerene nanotubes and organic polymers that are called electro active polymers. When an electric current is run through them they can expand and contract, mimicking natural muscle tissue, but, faster and stronger. Diamondoid molecular machines will allow such things as self-replicating, self-repairing, reactive materials that can change shape in their enviroment under computer and external control.
Some products that would benefit:
Body and Vehicle Armor: Diamondoid armor would be super-strong, tough, and lightweight. Layered diamondoid and laminated fullerene/diamond composite would be impervious to nearly any damage except that which can break the strong chemical bonds that hold it together. Smart systems such as actuators, struts, nodes, and circuits would allow active smart armor that can go from soft and flexible to hard and stiff instantly.
More information on this can be found at the INCA Naut Challenge:
The INCA stands for Inter-Nodal-Connector-Architecture and it was patented by Steve Bridgers. It is a smart material system that allows much of what is discussed here to be made reality.
Cutlery and Tools:
The first human-made tools were knives and cutting instruments made from chipped stone such as flint, obsidian, chert, quartz, and other materials. Then came metals such as copper and bronze, and then iron and steel. The industrial age was the steel age, and saw the refining of a wide range of steel alloys, and now we can produce advanced alloy steels that can be tailored for virtually any need. Excellent knife companies exist which manufacture strong, sharp, and durable knives. Some of these include: Cold Steel, EKA Knives, Eickhorn, and Spyderco. Here are their links:
Cold Steel Knives can be found at:
EKA Knives can be found at:
http://www.eka-knivar.se/index.asp?lang=UK
Eickhorn Knives can be found at:
http://www.lbainternational.com/eickhorn/
Spyderco Knives can be found at:
SOG Knives:
Muela Knives: Very good Spanish-made Knives and Cutlery
Ontario Knives: These are high-quality, made in the USA (American-made) hunting, outdoor, and military knives, including official military
issued knives:
Ka-Bar Knives: One of the main original manufacturers of high-quality field-knives for the U.S. Military, the Ka Bar company has now expanded their
knife selections for a wide-range of uses.
Once we can build knives from diamondoid, we can make knives (And other tools) that are stronger than steel, light as plastic, never rust, and are tough and elastic, as well.
We can also make knives and tools from nanostructured diamondoid ceramics and even combine metal and steel with diamondoid.
Once we add molecular motor systems and diamondoid gear-systems, we can make knives and tools that expand and contract like muscle, and which can telescope from the size of a ball point pen to the size of a sword....and have the cutting power of many chainsaws!
We could also construct a "Universal Tool" which is a mass of diamondoid that is full of actuators and molecular mechanisms that allow it to change shape to form any tool one needs, from a knife and a hammer to a spoon and a saw.
Disaster-Proof Tents, Shelters, Houses, and More:
We could use the principles outlined in the INCA technology as mentioned above, (www.incanautchallenge.com) to build collapsible tents and disaster shelters and all manner of buildings from diamondoid that are impervious to earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis. These can pop open quickly for fast deployment.
The list goes on, from smart fabrics and flying cars, to self-repairing self-sharpening super swords, and everything in between, can be constructed from diamondoid. Self-Cleaning Diamondoid Plates and Utensils would become as cheap and common as plastic flatware and stainless steel flatware is today.
THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. CHECK BACK FOR MORE INFORMATION.
