Silicon nitride: Difference between revisions
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The bonding topology makes for no good cleavage planes which might make this material <br> | The bonding topology makes for no good cleavage planes which might make this material <br> | ||
particularly tough especially compared to diamondoid like structures (zincblende & wurzite) <br> | particularly tough especially compared to diamondoid like structures (zincblende & wurzite) <br> | ||
== Misc == | |||
Naturally found only in meteorites. | |||
== Related == | == Related == | ||
Revision as of 11:49, 5 September 2025
Nierite is the gemstone form of Si3N4 silicon nitride (Mohs 9, trigonal).
It has been synthesized in a bulk nanocrystalline form (see external links) which
shows that a larger single crystal would be transparent too.
This material seems to be one of the very best Base materials with high potential
for gemstone based atomically precise manufacturing and technology.
Abundance and accessibility
The material combines elements that are highly abundant and highly accessible.
To the point of basically for free unless going to geoengineering level scales.
There is …
- Highly abundant silicon. (Most of Earths crust is SiO2 with a few patches of CaCO3 atop)
- Highly accessible nitrogen. (78% of our atmosphere - FAPP not depleatable - unless geoengineering level scale processes)
Hardness and toughness
Its high hardness compared to most silicon dioxide SiO2 polymorphs
(except a few like stishovite and seifertite)
might be to a small part due to nitrogen forming three bonds in contrast to oxygen forming just bonds
thus giving a higher bond density. That would make up only for ~+1/3 and the Mohs scale is nonlinear.
Suggesting indivitual bonds being a lot stronger.
The bonding topology makes for no good cleavage planes which might make this material
particularly tough especially compared to diamondoid like structures (zincblende & wurzite)
Misc
Naturally found only in meteorites.
Related
External links
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0022024879901234
- https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44755/figures/1 – (a) A photograph of a bulk nanocrystalline form of c-Si3N4 synthesized at 15.6 GPa and 1800 °C. The division of the ruler (this side) is 1 mm. The thickness of the sample is 0.464 mm.