Chinese scientists have developed an artificial "super diamond" that is much harder than its natural counterpart. This super diamond is expected to revolutionize industries that use such materials.
According to a new study published in Nature Materials, highly compressed graphite was heated to synthesize well-crystallized, nearly pure hexagonal diamond. The process resulted in the formation of a high-structured block containing ultra-small hexagonal diamond nanolayers, each millimeter in size.
Scientists noted that this "super diamond" structure possesses "high thermal stability up to 1100°C and an extremely high hardness of 155 Giga Pascals (GPa)." In contrast, natural diamonds are known to have thermal stability up to around 700°C and a hardness of about 100 GPa.
The researchers emphasized that the material's high thermal stability and hardness hold "great potential for industrial applications."
