Fullene based sintered carbon materials

The present application is directed to a new class of carbon materials and their synthesis. A new class of carbon materials and their synthesis. The new carbon materials are formed by high pressure and high temperature processing of fullerene based carbon powder. The new carbon materials are harder than graphite and can be harder than steel (what the starting fullerenes are single wall nanotubes) or almost as hard as diamond (when the starting fullerened arm Cbuckyballs). The physical attributes of the materials can also be controlled by the pressing and heating parameters. These new carbon materials are conductive like graphite and unlike diamond which is an insulator. The materials can be formed by powder metallurgy techniques into any shape (cylinders, balls, tubes, rods, cones, foils, fibers or others). The new materials can also be readily doped, converted to diamond, formed within a porous composite or converted to diamond within the porous composite.