All articles tagged with #lonsdaleite
Scientists in China have successfully synthesized lonsdaleite, a hexagonal form of diamond known for its exceptional hardness and stability at high temperatures, marking a 50-year milestone in creating this rare material in the lab. The new samples are larger and tougher than previous efforts, opening potential applications in industrial cutting tools, electronics, and protective coatings, although mass production challenges remain.
Diamond is still considered the hardest material for most practical purposes, but there are ways to create diamonds that are even harder. Lonsdaleite, a hexagonal crystal structure made of carbon atoms, is a prime contender for a material harder than diamond. However, it is still being studied and is not yet widely available. Scientists are also exploring the creation of superhard materials that are cheaper and easier to make in the lab, such as nanotwinned diamonds and superhard metals. While diamond remains the reigning champion in terms of hardness, it may face challenges in the future as new materials are developed.
Diamonds found in the Canyon Diablo meteorite have unusual structures that make them potentially useful for electronics. These stones share diamonds' proverbial hardness but are also unusually malleable and have electronic properties that can be tuned. The diamonds are made up of carbon atoms in a cubic shape with each atom joined to four others, occasionally interrupted by impurities of other elements that can add a hint of color. Lonsdaleite, a rare form of carbon, was previously thought to be made up of atoms in a hexagonal lattice but was found to involve traditional cubic diamonds and graphene-like domains that have grown together in what are known as diaphites. The crystal also contains numerous errors where atoms are misplaced. These crystals have a number of potential applications ranging from abrasives and electronics to nanomedicine and laser technology.