Inorganic Materials Discovery at High Pressures using Super-High-Energy Ball Milling

Abstract

I report a simple shock event approach inspired by the Allende meteorite to produce sophisticated carbon nanomaterials. It is demonstrated that unique carbon nanostructures, including carbon nanotubes, carbon onions, and new carbon nanorings are synthesized by super-high-energy ball-milling of steel balls. I propose that such carbon nanostructures exhibit an ultraviolet (UV) absorption feature at 220 nm that I suggest accounts for the UV interstellar extinction at 217.5 nm. Then, I report that 0.5FeTiO₃·0.5Fe₂O₃ solid solution compressed by collision synthesis with super-high-energy ball milling shows a decrease in molar volume of approximately 1.8 %. Consequently, the sample shows a new ferromagnetism with high Curie temperature. I propose that the compressed ilmenite–hematite solid solution is a potential candidate source of planetary magnetic anomalies.