- Chinese scientists claim to have successfully created hexagonal diamond in a laboratory, a form of carbon previously only found at meteorite impact sites.
- This synthetic hexagonal diamond exhibits a slightly higher hardness, approximately 114 gigapascals, compared to natural cubic diamonds, which typically have a hardness of around 110 gigapascals.
- Researchers from China's Henan Key Laboratory of Diamond Materials and Devices produced a millimetre-sized piece of pure hexagonal diamond by subjecting highly ordered graphite to extreme pressure of 20 gigapascals and temperatures between 1,300C and 1,900C.
- The existence of hexagonal diamonds has long been debated due to a lack of solid experimental evidence, with its physical properties remaining largely unexplored until now.
- This breakthrough resolves the long-standing controversy surrounding hexagonal diamond, offering new insights into carbon phase transitions and opening avenues for future research and technological applications.
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Scientists create first-of-its-kind ‘hexagonal diamond’ harder than real thing
