Revolutionary Strength: Amorphous Silicon Carbide, 10X Stronger Than Kevlar, Set to Transform Material Science

Scientists at Delft University of Technology, led by Professor Richard Norte, have discovered a super-strong material called amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC). This material is not only as strong as diamonds and graphene but is 10 times stronger than Kevlar, which is commonly used in bulletproof vests.

Amorphous silicon carbide has unique properties that make it great for tiny sensors on microchips. It is super strong and can be used in various ways, from making sensitive microchip sensors to advanced solar cells, and even for space exploration and DNA sequencing technologies.

To explain why it's special, imagine most materials are like perfectly stacked LEGO towers. This is called "crystalline." For example, a diamond is made up of carbon atoms perfectly aligned, making it very hard. But amorphous materials, like a-SiC, are more like a random pile of Legos with no consistent arrangement. Surprisingly, this randomness doesn't make it fragile. In fact, amorphous silicon carbide is extremely strong because of this randomness.

The strength of this new material is measured at 10 GigaPascal (GPa). To understand this, think of trying to stretch a piece of duct tape until it breaks. To simulate the strength of 10 GPa, you'd need to hang about ten medium-sized cars end-to-end on that strip before it breaks.

Researchers used a clever method to test the strength of a-SiC. Instead of traditional methods that might introduce errors, they used microchip technology. They grew films of amorphous silicon carbide on a silicon substrate and hung them, using nanostrings to apply high tensile forces. This method ensures precision and opens up new possibilities for testing materials in the future.

What makes this material stand out even more is its ability to be produced on a large scale. Unlike graphene, which is hard to make in large quantities, and diamonds, which can be rare and expensive, amorphous silicon carbide can be produced in large sheets. This makes it practical for use in various technologies.

The discovery of amorphous silicon carbide is a big deal in the world of materials. Its strength, unique properties, and the ability to produce it on a large scale make it a promising material for many exciting applications in technology.

Reference: “High-Strength Amorphous Silicon Carbide for Nanomechanics” by Minxing Xu, Dongil Shin, Paolo M. Sberna, Roald van der Kolk, Andrea Cupertino, Miguel A. Bessa and Richard A. Norte, 12 October 2023, Advanced Materials.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202306513