"During the Trinity nuclear test on July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert—the world’s very first test of an atomic bomb—a new material spontaneously formed. It was discovered only recently, by an international research team coordinated by geologist Luca Bindi at the University of Florence, which identified the novel clathrate based on calcium, copper, and silicon. It’s a material never before observed either in nature or as an artificial compound created in the laboratory."
"The term “clathrates” denotes materials characterized by a “cage-like” structure that traps other atoms and molecules inside, giving them unique properties. Of great technological interest, these materials are being studied for various applications ranging from energy conversion (as thermoelectric materials capable of transforming heat into electricity) to the development of new semiconductors, to gas storage and hydrogen for future energy technologies."
"To discover the new material, researchers focused on trinitite, a silicate glass containing rare metallic phases. Using some techniques like x-ray diffraction, the team was able to identify a type I clathrate based on calcium, copper, and silicon within a tiny copper-rich metal droplet embedded in a sample of red trinitite. The new material, the researchers say, formed spontaneously during a nuclear explosion."
"This indicates that the extreme conditions, such as extremely high temperatures and pressures, can generate new materials that are impossible to obtain by traditional methods. The discovery is even more interesting because in the same detonation event another very rare material was formed: a silicon-rich quasicrystal, already documented by the team of experts led by Bindi a few years ago."
A calcium-copper-silicon clathrate was identified in trinitite from the 1945 Trinity nuclear test. The clathrate has a cage-like structure that traps atoms or molecules inside, giving it distinct properties. Researchers examined a tiny copper-rich metal droplet embedded in red trinitite using techniques such as x-ray diffraction and determined the presence of a type I clathrate. The material is reported as previously unobserved in nature and not produced as an artificial compound in laboratory conditions. The formation is attributed to extreme temperatures and pressures during the nuclear explosion, which can create materials not obtainable by traditional synthesis. The same detonation also produced a silicon-rich quasicrystal.
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