New method developed to produce one of the hardest materials in nature: Study

In a first, researchers have developed a procedure for producing a variety of the compound boron carbide -- one the hardest materials in nature -- with potential application as a cheap, ultra-resistant material for the design of planes, cars, and other means of transport.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, noted that boron carbide was a family of ceramic materials represented as BxC.

According to the researchers, including those from the University of Seville in Spain, the material is a very hard black solid, which remains stable at very high temperatures, and is ultra-resistant to radioactivity.

The study noted that the boron carbide family consisted of compounds from B4C to B14C, depending on the proportion of B (boron) and C (carbon), and each had different physical properties.

Earlier studies had estimated that B6C -- with 6 boron atoms to each one of carbon -- was theoretically ultra-resistant to radioactivity, but a method to produce it did not exist until ..