"Creating Super-Diamonds: Unveiling the Synthesis Process"

Physicists have used simulations to discover a way to compress diamonds into an even harder material, known as the eight-atom body-centred cubic (BC8) phase, which is 30% more resistant to compression than diamonds. This structure, observed in silicon and germanium, has potential applications in highly-pressurized environments, such as inside exoplanets. However, synthesizing the BC8 phase has proven challenging due to the narrow range of temperature and pressure under which it can occur.