Lead
Hardness is a very important property between substances, which refers to the property that substances will not deform when they are squeezed or pulled by external forces.
For example, the well-known steel is a harder substance, and the relatively little-known graphene is also a very hard substance, even hundreds of millions of times harder than steel.
So what kind of substance in the world can reach such a hardness?
What is so special about it?
1. The hardest substance.
When it comes to the hardest substance, the first thing that comes to mind is diamond, the hardest substance in nature.
Like diamonds, diamonds are made up of carbon atoms, but the arrangement of carbon atoms in diamonds is very different from that of ordinary graphite.
Since the carbon atoms of diamond are arranged in a closed and circular shape, its structure is very compact and therefore very hard.
The hardness of diamond can reach the first level in the world, because the lattice structure of diamond is very stable, and it is very dense, and there are almost no defects.
In addition to these, the lattice structure of diamond is also very regular, so that the bond energy of the carbon atom of diamond will be very strong and very hard.
So is there anything that is harder than diamond?
In fact, there really is, this substance is graphene.
Unlike diamond, graphene is a two-dimensional substance, and its carbon atoms are composed of hexagonal arrangements, in which the bond energy of carbon atoms is much stronger than that of diamond.
Therefore, the hardness of graphene is several times higher than that of diamond, and billions of times higher than the hardness of metals such as steel.
The carbon bond of graphene is so strong, because the bond of graphene composed of carbon atoms is a very special covalent bond, this covalent bond is very stable and strong, so its hardness is also very high.
2. Caryne and graphene.
The reason why graphene is harder than diamond is mainly because graphene is a man-made substance, and people can peel graphite from the surface of graphite ore through a method called mechanical stripping, peeling it off layer by layer, until it is peeled to the end, and graphene, a two-dimensional substance, can be obtained.
Like graphene, there is a substance on the earth composed of carbon atoms, carbonylene, which is also very hard, its hardness is hundreds of times higher than steel, and the hardness of carylene is also dozens of times higher than that of diamond.
Because caryne is so hard, it is also called the "hard dish" of the earth, and it is also composed of carbon atoms.
In caryne, the bond energy between carbon atoms and carbon atoms is very strong, which is why it is so hard, because caryne is very hard, so it is also widely used in various industrial production.
Caryne is a very important raw material in the production of diamonds, which can help workers make high-quality diamonds.
In carylene, the distance between carbon atoms and carbon atoms is very close, and the bond energy between carbon atoms is also very strong, so the hardness of carbyne is very high, which is why it is dozens of times harder than steel.
Of course, carbyne is not very stable, its stability is much worse than diamond and graphene, carboxylene and iron under high temperature conditions, will undergo a chemical reaction to form a substance called "vanadium nitride".
When carboxylene and iron undergo a chemical reaction at high temperature to form a substance called "vanadium nitride", the hardness will be greatly reduced.
Because after the chemical reaction, the combination between carboxylene and iron will be greatly weakened, so the hardness will also be greatly weakened, so the way carboxylene and iron combine with each other determines the hardness of the substance.
3. The evolution of stars.
Carbon atoms are a very important element in the evolution of stars, and carbon atoms can combine with hydrogen atoms to form a substance called "methane".
In the evolution of stars, hydrogen atoms are very abundant, while carbon atoms are relatively rare.
In the process of evolution, a large number of hydrogen atoms and a large number of carbon atoms will combine with each other, so that a large amount of methane will be generated, which is the main fuel for stars.
In the early days of star formation, its interior is very hot, when the temperature inside the star is as high as more than one million degrees, the process of nuclear fusion will occur, so that the energy of the star will continue to be generated, and the star will continue to release energy.
In such a process, the internal energy of the star will continue to decrease, so that the internal temperature of the star will continue to decrease, and when the internal temperature drops below 1 million degrees, the process of nuclear fission will occur.
In this process, carbon and hydrogen atoms will combine with each other, so that a large amount of methane will be produced, and this substance will continue to expand outward, and finally form a larger nebula, which will continue to condense and eventually form a larger star.
When the internal energy of this star is exhausted, the process of star death occurs, and at the same time, a large amount of energy is released, forming a large explosion, which is called a supernova.
4. "Nuclear spaghetti" on neutron stars.
In the process of supernova explosion, a large number of new elements will be generated, and these elements will continue to spread outward with the remains of the supernova explosion, and eventually form a new nebula, which will continue to condense and eventually form a new star.
The remnants of the supernova explosion will continue to expand outward, eventually forming a new star, which is a neutron star.
For a neutron star, its interior contains a very rich number of neutrons, and the distance between neutrons is very close, so the density of the interior of the neutron star is also very large, which can reach a very large value, which can be said to be very Nefer.
At such a density, the distance between neutrons is very close, and even the process of nuclear reaction will occur, so the matter on the neutron star is also very hard, and this substance is called "nuclear pasta".
In the interior of neutron stars, because the neutrons are very close to each other, and even the process of nuclear reactions will occur, the temperature of neutron stars is also very high, which can be as high as millions of degrees.
At such a temperature, the interior of the neutron star will produce a very "hard dish", which is called "nuclear pasta".
For the substance "nuclear pasta", because the distance between the neutrons is very close, it is also very hard, and it can be said to be the hardest substance in the universe.
In terms of material appearance, it looks very crystal clear, like bowls of noodles, very delicious.
But this "nuclear pasta" seems to be very delicious, but it is very hard and almost unbreakable, which is also the charm of it.
5. 4. Neutron matter.
So how is the substance "nuclear pasta" formed?
This is because in the interior of the neutron star, the process of neutrons combining with each other will occur, and according to the simulation experiments done by people, if the neutrons want to combine with each other, they must have at least three neutrons, so that the distance between the neutrons will not be too close.
In such a process, a new substance is produced, which is called "nuclear spaghetti", which is composed of four neutrons, and the neutrons will be very stable in combination with each other, so the "nuclear spaghetti" is very hard.
And the "nuclear pasta" will continue to release energy, and these energies will continue to spread outward, forming a piece of light, which is also the reason why the "nuclear pasta" is very shining.
Nuclear pasta is very hard, but its lifespan is very short, 20 years ago, a new particle was discovered on a built accelerator, which is composed of four neutrons.
After a series of research experiments, it was found that for the four-neutron matter, its mass is very large and very stable.
"Nuclear pasta" is very hard, but its lifespan is very short, how short is its life?
In only a fraction of a second, this is the lifespan of "nuclear pasta".
Twenty years later, a new particle was discovered on the same accelerator, which is the four-neutron matter, which indicates that the four-neutron matter has a very short lifespan.
epilogue
Nuclear pasta is one of the hardest substances in the universe, and the study of this extreme substance may provide us with more clues about the origin and evolution of the universe.
In the future, with the continuous development of science and technology and experimental technology, our understanding of the matter in the universe will continue to deepen and innovate.