A diamond harder than… diamond has been created

Lonsdaleite is formed as a result of very high pressure and temperature when a meteorite collides with Earth. It used to be considered a separate polymorphic variety of carbon. It is harder than an ordinary diamondóin jewellery.

The applications for synthetically produced lonsdaleite are enormous. It is primarily used in the mining sector, where it can be used to cut and grind extremely hard materialsów.

– When you need something very hard to cut through, the new diamond can do it faster and easier than existing solutions – said Professor Jodie Bralby, whoóra was at the head of a team working on lonsdaleit.

Its very high hardness is related to its structure. It is formed by a hexagonal network ofóin coal. The material may be as much as 58 percent harder. from a jewellery diamond. This assumption is based on a computer model, because hardness tests showed lower values due to mineral contamination. If this turned out to be true, it would be the hardest known substance on Earth.