Bulk Re2C Crystal Structure, Hardness, and Ultra-incompressibility

A hard ultra-incompressible bulk Re2C material is first synthesized under moderate pressure (2-6 GPa) and high temperature (873 -1873 K) The phase composition of Re2C was determined by a chemical analysis method and its structure is finally determined to be a ReB2 type structure by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman technology, and ab initio calculations The hardness measurements show that it is a hard material which can rival ReB2 More impressively its volume incompressibility is comparable with that of diamond and its c axis incompressibility even exceeds that of diamond In the end the P-T phase diagram of the Re-C system has also been determined in the regions of P = 1-6 GPa and T=873-1873 K The moderate synthesis conditions show that this hard ultra incompressible bulk material will obtain the further applications