Emirati brothers shock scientists with breakthrough invention

The team said their invention would help develop better batteries, semi-conductors and better solar power.

Abu Dhabi – Two young Emirati brothers and a UAE based American nuclear chemist have developed what could be the-next-big-thing in science, which they claim: “Has the potential to change the world of technology, as we know it.”

Mohammed Al Fahim, 29, his younger brother Rashed, 24, and Dr Larry A Burchfield, 65, have always had a long passion for science. However, in the world of physics and chemistry, one truly needs to think outside the box to discover something astonishingly groundbreaking and potentially change the lives of millions, if not billions of people – the Al Fahims and Dr Burchfield done just that, right here in Abu Dhabi.

In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, the team shared how they recently invented a brand a new class of carbon allotropes, which Mohamed Al Fahim dubbed as ‘Novamene.’

“We were not allowed to speak about this discovery until recently when international scientists, professors, global research journals and lab tests confirmed our invention.”

“Novamene has the potential applications for transistors and other electronic components and could rival graphene as the next wonder martial for use in technology and energy,” added Mohammed.

The team’s invention could develop more efficient batteries, semi-conductors and better solar power, thus help create clean, renewable energy and protect the environment. The last inventors in the field were Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for their work in graphene, and were even awarded the Knight Bachelor.

New Class of Carbon Allotropes Positioned To Transform Electronics Industry

ABU DHABI, UAE, April 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — What began with a simple molecular model kit to test a theory, today holds the potential of becoming a multi-billion dollar industry.  A new classification of carbon allotropes called “Novamene” is the first release in a series which fall into an entirely new class of carbon, by a group of scientists and business leaders at Heidron, Inc., a US company that holds the intellectual property and is managed by principals based in Abu Dhabi.

“Eventual use of Novamene paves way to faster switching transistors, better batteries, vastly more efficient electronics and more, including energy conservation.  This development represents a key to the next stage of evolution in manufacturing and lifestyles,” explained lead scientist, Dr. Larry Burchfield, UAE-based American nuclear chemist and founder of the Radiochemistry Society in the US.

News of Novamene was first published in the February edition of the UK’s scientific journal, Heliyon.  The concept of combining hexagonal diamond and ring carbon (graphene), provides the basis for the new carbon allotrope classification. As diamonds act as an insulators, and graphene as a conductor, this breakthrough is expected to transform industry and marks the first new carbon allotrope classification since that of Fullerenes by Nobel Laureates Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W. Kroto, and Richard E. Smalley in 1996. It may also mark the field’s most significant advancement since Graphene by Nobel Laureates Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, 2010.

“Put into perspective, semi-conductor electronics could have significant increased capacity without the need for cooling required to maintain silicon chips in computers.  As diamonds have tremendous capacity for heat, we believe this material would also function as a transistor at very high temperatures.  A single-ringed Novamene can function as a molecular switch that can lead to much faster computers,” Dr. Burchfield added.

Proof of concept was achieved in collaboration with Dr. Nicola Manini, University of Milan.  Additional testing was performed by Pacific Northwest National Labs.  The main challenge ahead is the synthesis and manufacturing.

Second Carbon Allotrope From UAE Could Spark Fourth Industrial Revolution

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Less than one year later, Heidron, LLC., an Emirati company managed by principals based in Abu Dhabi, has identified and published the structure of a second new carbon allotrope, Protomene.  Details published in the scientific journal, Carbon, describe the unique properties of Protomene, which offers promise of tremendous advancements in the electronics industry as a single material and also complements those of the first, Novamene, introduced previously in Heliyon.

“Protomene and its tremendous properties, has been on the wish lists of forward thinking innovators and manufacturers for decades, and we will deliver it.  Our next step is to produce both linear and three dimensional samples of the material to prepare it for applications in electronics and related industries.  We’ve graduated from ‘pipe dream’ stage to eventually making a certain and beneficial impact upon the world of semi-conductors, opto-electronics, coatings, and energy conservation,” explained Dr. Larry Burchfield, American nuclear chemist and Chief Science Officer at Heidron.

The two recent advancements of Novamene and Protomene by a team of international experts led by Emirati brothers, Mohamed and Rashed Al Fahim at Heidron, LLC, are in keeping with initiatives and goals announced by the UAE and its Strategy for a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), as launched in September 2017, by H.E. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future.  One goal of 4IR is to increase contributions to the world economy and quality of life by advancing innovation and future technologies from the UAE.

“Our achievements highlight our commitment to the advancement of emerging technologies. We share the goal to become a major center for innovation and to train or attract the required talent from both within and beyond our borders,” explained Mohamed.

Both Novamene and Protomene are expected to transform industry and mark the first new carbon allotrope classifications since that of Fullerenes by Nobel Laureates Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W. Kroto, and Richard E. Smalleyin 1996. These developments may also mark the field’s most significant advancement since Graphene by Nobel Laureates Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, 2010.

“Work toward the actual manufacturing of both Protomene and Novamene will move forward in collaboration with the Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi,” added Rashed.

Professor Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Khalifa University, applauded the recent development stating, “Advances in materials science have always been at the core of technological innovation. For this reason, the Khalifa University is proud to be working with Heidron to advance technology in the UAE through joint development of Protomene, and related carbon allotropes.”

About Heidron, LLC:  Business leaders and brothers, Mohamed and Rashed Al Fahim, with Dr. Burchfield, conduct additional research, hold intellectual property.  For additional information write to: info@heidron.ae

Practical Strategies, Inc.: A US based company that represents emerging technologies.

Carbon Allotrope Claims Edge Over GaN, Graphene

LONDON — An Abu Dhabi based company claims to have identified an allotrope of carbon that may be more suitable than gallium nitride (GaN) for opto-electronic components and applicable to more semiconductor device applications than carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene.

A paper on the topic, published in the scientific journal Carbon, shows the structure of a new carbon allotrope, protomene, which researchers say offers promise of tremendous advancements in the electronics industry as a single material.

A team of international experts working on this advancement is led by Emirati brothers, Mohamed and Rashed Al Fahim at Alfields LLC. It is part of the United Arab Emirates government strategy to address innovation and future technologies needs for the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” launched in September 2017.

“Protomene and its tremendous properties have been on the wish lists of forward thinking innovators and manufacturers for decades, and we will deliver it,” said Larry Burchfield, an American nuclear chemist who serves as chief science officer at Alfields.

“We’ve graduated from the ‘pipe dream’ stage to eventually making a certain and beneficial impact upon the world of semiconductors, opto-electronics, coatings, and energy conservation,” Burchfield said.

Alfields says this probably marks the first new carbon allotrope classification since that of fullerenes by Nobel Laureates Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W. Krotoand Richard E. Smalley in 1996, and the most significant advancement since graphene by Nobel Laureates Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2010.

Work toward the actual manufacturing of protomene will move forward in collaboration with the Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi.

Protomene qualifies as a new potentially useful direct gap semiconductor. The energy band gap is very close to that of GaN, which is approximately 3.4 eV at room temperature. As a result, protomene possesses similar semiconducting properties to GaN, which may enable it to have applications for high-power and/or high-frequency electronic devices with large breakdown voltages.

The electronic states of protomene in an energy region around the top of the valence band (dashed line). Left: the DFT-LDA Kohn-Sham band structure along the path in the first Brillouin zone highlighted in the inset at the right side. Right: the density of electronic states of these bands. Source: Carbon

Considering that it is a binary system, the control of GaN composition is challenging during the crystal growth, whereas protomene is a single-element carbon allotrope and defect control might be easier than for GaN. Due to the gap amplitude near the blue end of the visible spectrum, protomene may find applications in opto-electronic components, such as blue or UV-light generating LEDs, or as a UV filter in optics.

Furthermore, the well-defined direct gap suggests that protomene may have more application in semiconductor devices than CNTs and graphene in terms of energy band gap. Indeed, one obstacle to overcome in the fabrication of CNTs is controlling whether the CNT is metallic and semiconducting. Protomene instead is predicted to be semiconducting up to a transition temperature.

Thermal expansion in protomene is likely to play against the interplane bonding. As the temperature is raised, a structural phase transition is likely to occur from a low-temperature semiconducting 48-atoms cell structure to the high-temperature metallic phase characterized by a 24-atoms cell structure. As this transition is approached, the band gap would close rapidly, much faster than the slow decay, also associated to thermal expansion, in diamond and silicon.

Accordingly, this phase transition would provide a sensitive temperature-controlled optical filter. The eventual transition to the high-temperature no-dimers metallic phase of protomene also has potential temperature-controlled optical and electric switching applications.

The quest for new allotropes of carbon has been an increasingly active field of research for several decades. Broad interest is fuelled by the wide range of structural and electronic properties of carbon allotropes.

Carbon possesses three energetically competitive different types of orbital hybridization (sp, sp2, and sp3). This allows carbon atoms to combine with each other in an exceptional number of ways.

The sp3 configuration gives rise to three-dimensional networks with insulating properties along with high stiffness, as in cubic and hexagonal diamond. In contrast the sp (linear) and sp2 (planar) hybridizations can be responsible for flexible structures such as carbyne and graphene, which often come with small electronic interband gaps or even metallic properties. Intermediate hybridizations are quite frequent as well, as in the fullerenes and the nanotubes.

Protomene is based on a new stable carbon structure combining sp2 and sp3 hybridizations, with six atoms out of 24 being able to adopt a perfectly planar sp2 geometry, from which they can then move out of the plane to build comparably weak bonds with partner atoms in the next vertically stacked lattice cell. It’s thought that this extra bond formation will lower the total energy by approximately 1 eV per bond, and therefore induce a substantial change in electronic properties.

Our vision is to become a global player in ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Contact

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Email. info@heidron.ae

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