New carbon phases synthesized under extreme conditions

ARC DP23 - Solid carbon materials are remarkably versatile and range from the soft, opaque graphite to hard, transparent diamond. This project is focused on experimentally producing new forms of carbon materials that are now predicted by modern modelling and theory but have not yet been achieved experimentally. This will be done by subjecting novel forms of carbon to extreme pressures and ion-beam irradiation. The resulting materials are likely to be hard, light, and have remarkable thermal proprieties. This work would establish proof-of-principle of new phases which could be further developed for translation to high volume production. Diamond is an example of a material that was at first only able to be synthesized at high pressure and temperature, but now can be made much more cheaply via new technology. New carbon materials would be of high economic interest and have applications in a broad range of industries from space, to mining, to medical devices. The project aligns wi