The first atomic bomb test in 1945 created an entirely new material

During the Trinity nuclear test on July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert — the world’s first test of an atomic bomb — new matter spontaneously formed. It was only recently discovered, by an international research team coordinated by geologist Luca Bendi at the University of Florence, which identified new clathrates based on calcium, copper and silicon. It is a substance that has never been observed before either in nature or as a synthetic compound created in a laboratory.

What are clathrates?

The term “clathrate” refers to materials that have a “cage-like” structure that traps atoms and other molecules inside, giving them unique properties. Of great technological interest, these materials are being studied for various applications ranging from energy conversion (as thermoelectric materials capable of converting heat into electricity) to the development of new semiconductors, to gas and hydrogen storage for future energy technologies.

New material

To discover the new material, the researchers focused on trinitite, a silicate glass containing rare mineral phases. Using techniques such as X-ray diffraction, the team was able to identify a type of clathrate based on calcium, copper and silicon within a small copper-rich mineral droplet embedded in a sample of red trinitite.

Researchers say the new material formed spontaneously during a nuclear explosion. This suggests that extreme conditions, such as extremely high temperatures and pressures, can generate new materials that are impossible to obtain by conventional methods.

Natural laboratories

This discovery is even more interesting because in the same detonation event another very rare material was formed: a silicon-rich quasicrystal, which had already been documented by the team of experts led by Bindi a few years ago.

A quasicrystal, Bindi told WIRED at the time, is something that isn’t a crystal, but looks very similar to one. “Their advantage is that the non-periodic, but very close, atomic arrangement creates amazing symmetries from which, among other things, amazing physical properties are derived that are, among other things, very difficult to predict,” he said.

Thus, establishing the link between these structures helps scientists better understand how atoms are organized under extreme conditions and expands the possibilities for designing new materials. “Events such as nuclear explosions, lightning strikes, or meteorite impacts act as veritable natural laboratories,” the researchers explain. “It allows us to observe forms of matter that we cannot easily reproduce in the laboratory.”

In essence, this research opens new horizons for the development of innovative technologies, demonstrating that even devastating events can bequeath useful discoveries for the future.

This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.