80 years after the Trinity nuclear test, scientists identify new molecule-trapping crystal formed in the blast

Key Points:

• Researchers have discovered a new type of clathrate compound in red trinitite, a rare glassy material formed from the 1945 Trinity nuclear test, marking the first crystallographically confirmed clathrate found among nuclear explosion products.
• The clathrate, composed of silicon, calcium, copper, and iron (Si85Ca12Cu2Fe1), features a cubic type-I structure with a calcium atom trapped inside and formed under extreme, short-lived pressure and temperature conditions during the explosion.
• This discovery builds on earlier findings of a silicon-rich icosahedral quasicrystal in red trinitite, but density functional theory calculations revealed that the clathrate and quasicrystal have distinct structures due to differing copper content.
• The study highlights how rare, high-energy events like nuclear detonations create unique, metastable crystalline materials that are difficult to replicate in laboratories, providing natural settings to explore exotic matter beyond conventional synthesis methods.
• These insights refine understanding of exotic silicon-rich phases formed under extreme conditions and rule out a simple clathrate-based model for the Trinity quasicrystal, emphasizing the complexity of materials generated in nuclear explosions.