Sometimes it’s fun to give a bit of thought to the things we take for granted, as well as to the stuff that makes up our stuff! Take carbon, for instance. No doubt there are many to whom this carbon brush substance is a complete mystery. If they know anything at all about carbon, it’s only that “everything” is made of carbon. That’s actually pretty close to the truth! Every living thing is at least partially composed of carbon.
One of the reasons carbon is found in so many places is because its valence (outermost level of electrons) has four electrons which makes it able to form many covalent bonds with other atoms. Carbon also form bonds with itself. In industry, it finds many uses in such diverse materials as industrial diamonds, Graphite, Ceramics, factory materials mainly devoted to the production of other items. In the form of coke, it reduces iron ore to iron. Add it to iron, and steel is created. In nuclear reactors, it regulates neutrons.
Ceramic materials are made stronger when Carbon Fiber is used as a compositional ingredient. Disc brakes are made this way as are many bearings, knives, and 3D pieces parts to larger machinery. Ceramics goods only gain their extreme strength after the carbon fiber material has been added. Ceramics made with this type of fiber are not only strong, but they’re also quite light in weight, and are able to withstand temperatures as high as 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit. Carbon fiber is also used to make such things as the hoods of cars and the wings of airplanes because of it’s combination of strength and lighter weight.
The purest forms of carbon are diamonds and graphite. Diamonds are exceptionally hard, and are used therefore in various industries for cutting, polishing and drilling. Graphite is a softer form of carbon, and when combined with clay, makes the “lead” we call pencil lead, which isn’t really lead at all.
Graphite is also used as a lubricant, say for squeaky hinges or sticky locks. It also makes a lubricating paint that is used on farms and in factories anywhere a non-stick, smooth, low friction coating is advantageous. Graphite is found in batteries and in the brush components of electric motors. Charcoal is another place carbon is found. It is in the charcoal briquettes we use when grilling a steak outside, and we ingest it as activated charcoal to settle an upset stomach or to absorb toxins.
Carbon’s future looks as bright as its present for it plays an integral part in the growing world of nanotechnology, or miniaturization. Carbon nanotubes (a mainstay to nanotechnology) are hollow structures with walls of carbon that are only one atom thick. It’s safe to say that as long as man roams the earth and makes things into things, that carbon will be a component.
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