Q-carbon & Q-silicon
New phases with extraordinary properties
Laser-driven, wafer-scale methods enable ultra-hard coatings, diamond growth at ambient conditions, room-temperature ferromagnetism, and high-Tc superconductivity in B-doped Q-carbon: opening paths to next-gen electronics, spintronics, quantum devices, and sensors.
three discoveries
How it works
Ultrafast laser processing → rapid quench locks in non-equilibrium Q-phases (Q-carbon, Q-BN, Q-Si); enables high dopant levels beyond equilibrium solubility; supports wafer-scale patterning and device integration on Si(100).
Featured publication
Selected Publications
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Superconductivity (B-doped Q-carbon):
ACS Nano (2017): Tc ≈ 55 K; follow-ups on structure–property and critical currents. -
Hardness & conversion to diamond:
MRS Communications (2018): hardness exceeding diamond. - APL Materials/Research Letters (2015–2016): direct conversion to diamond at ambient conditions.
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Ferromagnetism & transport:
ACS Appl. Nano Mater. (2018): room-temperature ferromagnetism & extraordinary Hall effect. -
Scaling & coatings:
Diamond Relat. Mater. / Carbon / JOM (2018–2021): Q-carbon coatings; diamond on Q-carbon seeds; polymer → nanodiamond films. -
Independent confirmation (compact list):
Carbon / PRB / PR Materials (2018–2020): external simulations/experiments on Q-carbon, heavy B-doping, magnetism.
1,000+ journal articles
35K+ citations
R&D 100 Awards
for Q-carbon and nanodiamonds for quantum sensing
Funding
NSF, ARO, DARPA, DOE (ORNL)
Why It Matters
Applications and Use Cases
Quantum & Spintronics
Optoelectronics
Coatings
Quantum Sensing
FAQs
Commonly asked questions
- Is Q-carbon really harder than diamond?
- Reported measurements show hardness exceeding diamond; see MRS Communications (2018).
- Is superconductivity real in B-doped Q-carbon?
- Multiple 2017–2019 papers report high-Tc behavior (up to ~55–57 K) with pathways explored for higher Tc via heavy B-doping.
- Can these phases be made at scale?
- Laser processing is patternable and supports wafer-scale throughput.
- Why is ferromagnetism in carbon/silicon notable?
- Conventional phases are non-magnetic; room-temperature ferromagnetism enables new device physics.
Recognition
