Image copyright P.DalladaySimpson E.Gregoryanz British researchers believe that they are a step away from achieving the theoretically predicted state of hydrogen, in which he takes on the properties of the metal.
They were able to put a well-known gas under such high pressure that it takes a solid crystalline form to reach that previously could not.
The scientists told the journal Nature, that the next step is the synthesis of the so-called metallic hydrogen.
The possibility of its reception was predicted 80 years ago. The new material can be used in a new generation of even faster computers and even a little rocket fuel.
“We believe that we have achieved the state of a material which may be called prior obtaining metallic hydrogen” – told Ross Howe, formerly of the University of Edinburgh, and now based in China.
“If we compare the results of our experiments with how theoretically described metallic hydrogen, then we can find a lot in common,” – said the scientist told BBC NEWS.
The researchers used a cell with diamond anvils to compress the pattern of molecular hydrogen.
The construction of such a cell includes two diamond conical shape, are opposite to each other.
They direct compressive force on the space with a diameter of less than a millimeter, which is a sample of a compressible material
Brute force
“The amount of hydrogen used does not exceed one cubic micron, which is comparable to the size of a red blood cell, “- said Philip Dalladey Simpson of the University of Edinburgh.
” We are using brute force. We make about a ton of effort to diamonds to create a lot of pressure, “- he added.
In their experiments, the scientists manage to achieve a pressure of 350 GPa at room temperature. This is roughly comparable to the pressure in the center of the Earth.
The pressure on the hydrogen molecule leads to the fact that the gas becomes liquid, and then solid.
As the pressure of the atoms in the molecules of hydrogen come together more tightly, and conductivity in the crystals increases.
As a result, the hydrogen atoms must condense so that their electrons become common as it occurs in metals.
Although to achieve this phase, the team of scientists have not yet succeeded, they believe that they are on the verge of it.
“This should be a combined structure of the different layers in which a layer of molecular hydrogen is replaced by a layer of atoms “- says Howie.
Room temperature
During the experiments become more clear under what conditions it is possible to achieve phase appearance of metallic hydrogen. Scientists believe that this will be possible at a pressure below 450 GPa at room temperature.
The temperature of the environment is very important because if we succeed in these conditions obtain metallic hydrogen, it will open the possibility for the creation of a superconductor. With it, scientists hope to improve the performance of computers.
“It is predicted that metallic hydrogen can be an ideal superconductor operating at room temperature. Until now, to create such a material could not,” – said Howe.
“But due to the fact that we are experimenting with such small volumes, the practical application at this stage is not yet clear,” – he added.
As a further scope of metallic hydrogen, scientists see the creation of a new type of fuel for missiles instead of the now-based fuel cooled hydrogen.
There is also a suggestion that metallic hydrogen exists in the natural state in the depths of some of the giant planets (like Jupiter).
The high pressure and high temperature in the crust of Jupiter are factors form a liquid form of metallic hydrogen.
NASA plans examine this hypothesis using interplanetary station “Juno,” which this year is to fly to Jupiter.
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