Chinese Scientists Forge Unnatural 'Alien' Diamond
Breakthrough in Diamond Synthesis: Chinese Researchers Create Rare Hexagonal Diamonds Chinese scientists have made a significant advancement in material science by successfully synthesizing a rare form of diamond known as hexagonal diamond, or lonsdaleite. This achievement marks a major milestone in the development of super-hard materials, as this type of diamond was previously found only in meteorites. The breakthrough was detailed in a study published in Nature , which outlines how researchers from the Centre for High-Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research transformed high-purity natural graphite single crystals into hexagonal diamonds under carefully controlled conditions. These conditions included high temperature, high pressure, and quasi-hydrostatic environments, which allowed for the creation of this unique structure. Hexagonal diamonds are believed to be harder than the conventional cubic diamonds found on Earth. The reason for this is their more robust atomic a...