Is Carbon Malleable? Need to Know Facts!

Carbon is abundantly found in the organic matter which is used by plants to produce food. In this article, we shall discuss the malleability of carbon in detail.

Carbon is not malleable because it is a non-metal and forms strong compounds and structures like diamond and graphite, that have strong atomic bonds and strength of about 3500 MPa. The material made up of carbon has high strength and rigidity, and hence forms cleavages and breaks when deformed.

The four valence electrons of carbon are shared to increase the stability of carbon and make a strong atomic bond forming a rigid structure. It is therefore used in increasing the strength of any soft material. We shall ponder on the brittleness of carbon and its malleability at room temperature further.

Is carbon malleable at room temperature?

A matter is said to be malleable if it does not break upon applying stress. Let us see whether carbon is malleable at room temperature or not.

Carbon is not malleable at room temperature because it is solid and rigid at room temperature as well. The atomic structure of carbon atoms is hexagonal and the modulus of elasticity is around 4.1 GPa. Even if the temperature increases, the carbon bonds do not break and it doesn’t become malleable.

Is carbon brittle?

The brittle material breaks when exposed to high stress without showing plasticity. Let us see whether carbon is brittle or not.

Carbon is brittle because of strong C-C bonds that do not allow the atoms to slide across each other and thus, carbon material breaks forming cleavages and fractures. The strength of the carbon is 3500 MPa and the hardness is about 15 MPa. The density of carbon is 2.26 g/cm3 but has strong carbon bonds.

carbon
Image Credit: Carbon by FK1954 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Is carbon fiber ductile?

Carbon fibers are small particles of carbon having a diameter of about 5-10 micrometers. Let us see whether carbon fiber is ductile or not.

Carbon fiber is not ductile because it cannot be down into a thin sheet as it is very hard and develops cracks upon elongating. The carbon fibers are also composed of different brittle materials that are strong but increase the flexibility of carbon fibers. The carbon fibers have the highest strength.

Conclusion

We can conclude from this article that carbon is not malleable. Its malleability does not increase with temperature. The carbon is brittle as it breaks when exposed to stress and does not show plasticity due to its strong and rigid hexagonal structure.

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