The Revolution Blog

New Material “Unmeltable” Even at Earth’s Core

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015

We’ve put casters to work in autoclaves as hot as 550 F – impressive, by heavy industry standards. But our feat has nothing on the melting point of a newly discovered material: 7,460 F.

According to scientists at Brown University, a precise combination of hafnium, nitrogen and carbon could withstand a trip down to the outer edges of the Earth’s core.

Computer simulations revealed that the material would have a higher melting than the next closest substance by 200 kelvins.

It’s so strong that researchers say it could theoretically stay intact in the “cool” layers of the sun. We say theoretically because it would need to survive the inferno that is the sun’s corona: 900,000 F.

Hafni-what?

You’re a Hamilton reader, so clearly you know nitrogen and carbon, but what about hafnium? This incredibly dense and corrosion-resistant material is primarily used in extreme heat applications, like nuclear reactors and rocket thrusters.

The Apollo lunar lander, for example, featured hafnium in its rocket nozzle.

Researchers are in the process of synthesizing the material for testing. If they succeed, you could see it used in gas turbines, or heat shields for jet engines. And, we’ll be standing by to haul them with our hot-commodity casters.

Source: Gizmag

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