Just how strong is the strongest material?

      In a new paper written by scientists from Rice University, supposedly the strongest material known to man consisting of a chain of carbon atoms is described. This material is known as carbyne. Lead scientist Boris Yakobson of the research group describes the material as capable of being stretched, capable of storing energy with side molecules, and it is resistant to crosslinks with nearby chains. Now to understand the strength of this material, Yakobson points out this material is twice as strong as graphene. To break a sheet of graphene, one of the strongest materials ever tested by scientists, the weight of an elephant on top of a pencil would be required. Therefore the strength of carbyne is incredible. Carbyne's strength can be attributed to its arrangement of carbon atoms in a chain with double bonds or alternating single and triple bonds. Yakobson notes how people usually observe atoms of substances while in ground state, but he states carbyne may be the highest energy configuration for carbon materials. This material is further described in the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131009162732.htm.
      Upon reading this article, I was initially amazed at the amount of strength this substance has emphasized in its comparison to the material graphite. If this substance could be produced in a great abundance, maybe it would have possibilities for being used in construction to make stronger structures. Also as a teenager who will soon be receiving their driver's permit, many stories and cases of tragic car accidents are scary and intimidating. Thus incredibly strong materials like this can continue to be discovered and studied, maybe the safety of essential features to life can be improved. As stated in the article, Yakobson proposed carbyne may be a structure of the highest energy configuration. From chemistry lessons of atomic orbitals and electrons, it is interesting to study how the arrangement of these atoms affects the characteristics and chemical properties of a substance. With my past posts discussing the promise of nanotechnology especially with tools like scanning tunneling microscope, this article clearly connects with those topics as its strength, ability to stretch, and capabilities of storing energy can be utilized in creating more advanced, nanotechnology. If scientists hope to invent more complex technology, they must use advanced substances like carbyne. Thus the importance of researching different materials such as carbyne in addition to their energy configurations serves a great significance for technological development.