Scientists Successfully Grow Ultra-Hard Hexagonal Diamonds in Lab

Quick Summary

• Scientists have successfully synthesized hexagonal diamonds-up to 60% tougher than conventional cubic diamonds.
• Natural hexagonal diamond, called lonsdaleite, occurs in meteorites but has never been produced in pure form before.
• Researchers from the Center for High pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (beijing) achieved nearly 100% purity of synthetic hexagonal diamonds at extreme conditions: 1400°C and 20 gigapascals pressure.
• This newly created diamond has an initial hardness of about 120 gigapascals (slightly harder than normal cubic diamonds at ~115 gigapascals); further technique improvements could enhance this property substantially.
• Potential industrial applications include super-tough tools for deep geothermal drilling or precision cutting equipment.

Image Courtesy: Shutterstock – Depicts the crystal structure of hexagonal diamond.