Carbon nanofoam is a low-density allotrope of carbon, discovered in 2005. It has a unique molecular structure and is similar to aerogels but with 100 times lower density. It is produced by firing a high-energy laser at graphite or disordered carbon in an inert gas. Carbon nanofoam exhibits ferromagnetism, which can be preserved at extremely low temperatures.
Carbon nanofoam is an allotrope of carbon. An allotrope is a variant of a substance made up of only one type of atom. The best known allotropes of carbon are graphite and diamond. Carbon nanofoam, the fifth allotrope of carbon, was discovered in 5 by Andrei V. Rode and his team at the Australian National University in Canberra, in collaboration with the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute in St. Petersburg. Its molecular structure consists of tendrils of carbon bonded together in a low-density, mist-like arrangement.
Carbon nanofoam is similar in some respects to previously produced carbon and silicon aerogels, but with about 100 times lower density. Carbon nanofoam has been extensively studied under an electron microscope by John Giapintzakis and the team at the University of Crete. Its production and study were mainly experimented by Greek, Russian and Australian scientists.
Carbon nanofoam is made by firing a high-pulse, high-energy laser at graphite or solid disordered carbon suspended in an inert gas such as argon. Like aerogels, carbon nanofoam has an extremely high surface area and acts as a good insulator, capable of being exposed to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit before deforming. It has a practically transparent appearance, consisting mainly of air and quite fragile.
One of the more unusual properties exhibited by carbon nanofoam is that of ferromagnetism; is attracted to magnets, such as iron. This property vanishes a few hours after the nanofoam is created, although it can be preserved by cooling the nanofoam to extremely low temperatures, approximately -183° Celsius (-297° Fahrenheit). Other carbon allotropes, such as high-pressure fullerenes, exhibit some properties of magnetism, but not at the carbon nanofoam level. The magnetic properties of carbon nanofoam remind scientists that the magnetism of a substance cannot be determined simply by the type of substance, but also by its allotrope and temperature.
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