Lincoln, NE (AP) - Research led by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln chemist has led to the discovery of a new material with many possible uses.
The material could serve as a solid lubricant and provide a way to store carbon dioxide. It may also provide important clues about the composition of planets.
European researchers announced in 2011 that they had discovered a new substance when they combined dry ice and quartz under high pressure. But they weren't able to determine the material's crystal structure, and the question caught the attention of UNL chemist Xiao Cheng Zeng and his colleagues. Zeng and his team spent almost a year modeling possible structures.
The findings were reported in the Feb. 27 issue of Physical Review Letters X, an online journal of the American Physical Society.
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