Rhondite

Rhondite is a nano-scale helical carbon-based structure that may be used in the production of steels and alloys to increase cohesion, strength, and uniformity. Each helix is actually made up of small spheres called buckyballs or fullerenes.

Each fullerene sphere contains metallic atoms inside of the carbon cage; and as such have created a subset known as metallofullerenes. It is the chaining and winding of the metallofullerenes into their natural shapes that produces the unique Rhondidic structure.

Advantages In Steel Production

* Used as an additive
* Takes the place of free carbon
* Chemically identical to standard metals
* Increases strength without tempering or quenching

See also

* Nanotechnology
* Buckminster Fuller
* Metallurgy
* Carbon
* Iron
* List of alloys

Sources

* [http://worldandi.misto.cz/_MAIL_/article/nsapr99.html WorldAndI April 1999]
* [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&r=1&l=50&f=G&d=PALL&s1=5449491.WKU.&OS=PN/5449491&RS=PN/5449491 United States Patent 5449491]