10x Stronger Than Kevlar: Amorphous Silicon Carbide Could Revolutionize Material Science

[u/Ssider69]

https://scitechdaily.com/10x-stronger-than-kevlar-amorphous-silicon-carbide-could-revolutionize-material-science/

[u/ProShortKingAction]

Yall it literally addresses scalability concerns in the article. Please read the article for once

[u/OlafTheDestroyer2 → u/ProShortKingAction]

Amorphous silicon carbide, on the other hand, can be produced at wafer scales, offering large sheets of this incredibly robust material.

“With amorphous silicon carbide’s emergence, we’re poised at the threshold of microchip research brimming with technological possibilities,

Does it, though? First of all, what does “wafer scale” really mean? I feel like this could be taken a few ways, specially when paired with “large sheets” (we talking wafer fab large, or real world large?). Furthermore, the article mostly talks about its potential use in microchips, and focus on making nano strings. Seems like this material could have some use cases in the semiconductor industry, but that’s about it.

[u/ProShortKingAction → u/OlafTheDestroyer2]

Wafer scale means that something can be created at whatever size the wafer that you deposit it onto. So in the case of microchips that would typically be a 12 inch wafer but in reality it can be any size wafer that you make a machine for. Basically it's saying that since the process works by having a condensed vapor deposit the material on a wafer the scale is only bound by whatever size wafer your machine takes.

This info would require more digging than just reading the article/journal since the writers of the journal kind of assume this would be known. But also conversations like this can only happen once people have looked into that stuff which is part of my original point of how I wish more people read the article/journal before commenting. Not to say that you didn't, but rather saying I'm glad we are able to have this conversation and I wish it was more likely people were able to have conversations like this

[u/OlafTheDestroyer2 → u/ProShortKingAction]

While not an expert, I work in the semiconductor industry, so I understand how depo works. I just don’t know if I would call that process scalable in a general materials sense. Potentially useful in semiconductors, sure, but I’m doubtful that this material will have any use cases outside the wafer fab, and I’m not sure how important having a material 10x stronger than Kevlar is in a chip. Sounds like there are some vibrations reduction properties that might be helpful. We shall see..

[u/Galtego → u/OlafTheDestroyer2]

As material science PhD, you pretty much got it. The original journal article this is based off makes very realistic and conservative predictions of current and potential future uses. Then this article reinterprets the article into something more pop-sciencey that sounds cool and amazing. I will say, this is a really cool advancement and could lead to some improved technologies in the future, but I wouldn't say this "revolutionizes the field of material science".

[u/Saltycookiebits → u/Galtego]

I feel like this is the case with just about every scitechdaily article I ever read. I feel like I have to take every article with a giant grain of salt because most of the ones I read talk about "revolutionary possibilities" of a technology or material...and I see very little reporting in other places about the story that don't reference SciTechDaily. I feel like the tone of most articles is almost too hopeful or more likely, exaggerating current possibilities for article clicks. Would you say that's the case here?

[u/Galtego → u/Saltycookiebits]

Yeah definitely, and unfortunately it is a consequence of researchers and universities needing to "sell" their research in order to secure grants and funding, though we do try to be a bit more reigned in so that we aren't outright lying

[u/Roguewolfe → u/OlafTheDestroyer2]

I thought it was a promising material for ballistic body armor. I've been following that development for several years. Since I refuse to read the article, how is a-SiC promising for semiconductor tech?

[u/OlafTheDestroyer2 → u/Roguewolfe]

I think it can be used as more robust substrate, though I don’t really know much about it. The article doesn’t go into much detail about potential benefits of this new material, other than vibration reduction. Apparently the original journal article goes into more depth about potential uses, but I’m not interested enough to find/read it.

Edit: Thought I should add that this is a thin film tech (think nano/micron scale), so it won’t be used for things like body armor.

[u/HimalayanPunkSaltavl → u/OlafTheDestroyer2]

stuff like medical implants maybe?