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We introduce a carbon allotrope with rhombic symmetry and a high crystal density reached 3.56 g/cm3, named Pn-C10, which was found using an unbiased particle-swarm structural-searching technique. This fully sp3-bonded carbon phase is dynamically and mechanically stable in its ground state. Results from our calculations reveal the excellent mechanical nature of Pn-C10 with a claimed shear modulus and Vickers hardness of 484 GPa and 88.45 GPa, respectively, which also suggested its slight anisotropy in elasticity. The predicted electronic band structure indicates that Pn-C10 is an indirect-bandgap material with a bandgap of 5.05 eV. Natural tiling analysis and simulations of x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra were performed to provide insights for further studies into Pn-C10 and other carbon phases.

Reciprocating pressure-induced phase transition (RPPT) was proposed as a new approach to synthesize nanostructured bulk materials with clean grain boundary interfaces for structures that undergo reversible pressure-induced phase transitions. The...

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