Harder-Than-Diamond Carbon
By Robert Frederick
A new form of carbon—Q-carbon—is harder than diamonds and out of the lab.
February 14, 2017
From The Staff Chemistry Mineralogy
The invention of Q-carbon—widely reported about a year ago—is out of the lab. One of its first real-world tests: a go-kart race in North Carolina.
As an oil additive, Q-carbon acts as a nano-lubricant, significantly reducing friction in the engine. As a result, more of the engine's power is transmitted to the wheels instead of being wasted as heat.
The go-kart driver testing the Q-carbon additive was in last place after the first two laps, but ended up winning by more than a lap.
Jagdish (Jay) Narayan, who led the team that developed Q-carbon, was tickled by the win. He told me the story and we spoke about the various uses of Q-carbon, both those in production and in development.
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