New research created hexagonal diamonds by applying very high pressures to graffiti. In addition to being harder than natural diamonds, synthetic diamonds also have great thermal stability.
Researchers developed a new form of diamond with a hexagonal crystalline structure which is significantly harder than the natural diamond.
The new material was created by placing graffiti under extreme pressure and warming it at 1527 ° C and reached a Hardness of 155 gigapascals (GPA), compared to the 110 GPa of the natural diamond. Synthetic diamond also had impressive thermal stability, remaining intact to at least 1100 ° C. Its creation was reported in a published in the journal Nature Materials.
Although natural diamonds and most synthetic diamonds have a cubic structure, this rare hexagonal form, also known as hexagonal diamond (HD) or Lonsdaleite, has has been difficult to produce in the past. Previous attempts produced only small or impure samples, which led to a debate about the potential properties of the material.
The team found that the application of much higher pressures to graffiti and its subsequent heating under these conditions led to the preferential formation of a hexagonal diamond. Also identified ways to increase the process for greater production, which can open doors for industrial applications In drilling, machinery and data storage, explains the.
This is not the first attempt to create hexagonal diamonds in a laboratory. In 2016, scientists produced hexagonal diamonds from amorphous carbon. However, the new method demonstrates a clearer way to produce this super hard material consistently and on scale.
The hexagonal diamond attracted the scientific interest for the first time for over 50 years, when it was discovered in a place of impact of a meteorite. The new discoveries not only confirm the potential of the hexagonal structure to increase hardness, but also provide valuable information on graffiti conversion to diamond to extreme conditions.
