If you ask any person to name the hardest natural substance on earth, chances are that they’ll say a diamond. In fact, its name comes from the Greek word adamas, which means “invincible” or “unbreakable.” Its incredible hardness and dazzling beauty have kept it in high demand for thousands of years. Despite the pricey nature of diamonds, scientists and modern researchers have spent decades searching for cheaper alternatives.
Diamond
Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth. It is so hard that it bends and reflects light, breaking it into a rainbow of colours. This is what makes diamond so dazzling and beautiful. However, diamonds are not the only hard natural substance. Scientists have discovered a potential rival for diamond.
Other materials can surpass diamond’s hardness, but not diamond’s absolute hardness. A recent study found lonsdaleite is 58 per cent harder than diamond under the same testing conditions. The researchers attribute the material’s higher strength to its structural reaction to compression. When materials are subjected to compression, the atomic bonds in the crystals are reversed to form stronger structures. Although the w-BN material is harder than diamond, it is not yet a substitute for diamond.
Diamond is formed by joining together four atoms of the carbon element. These four atoms form a crystal structure, making it the hardest substance on Earth. Its high melting point makes it useful as a cutting tool. It also has special optical properties, like high index of refraction and dispersion, which make it a valuable gemstone. These properties also make diamond a desirable material for specialty lenses.
Although diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance, other hard materials can be synthesized. Other materials with higher hardness include graphene, lonsdaleite, and wurtzite BN, which are formed during volcanic eruptions. They are also useful for a variety of industrial applications.
Although the hardness of diamond is the hardest natural substance, lonsdaleite is predicted to be harder than diamond. Its name comes from the Greek word adamas, which means “insurmountable” and “invincible.” Its beauty has also kept it in high demand for thousands of years. Modern scientists have spent decades trying to develop cheaper, non-diamond alternatives.
Graphene
Graphene is a layer of carbon crystal that is the hardest known substance. Its extraordinary properties were first discovered in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until 2004 that scientists at the University of Manchester were able to separate graphene from graphite. This discovery won them the Nobel Prize for its incredible properties. Today, it is being studied for a variety of applications. It could replace silicon as the base material for microelectronic devices.
In recent years, researchers have been able to use graphene to make light armor and shields for the military. The team behind this breakthrough developed a material that can block radiation and stop bullets. Since then, other groups have also had success using graphene. Graphene is considered a potential new material that can improve technology and protect the world.
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have tested this material’s strength by firing tiny spheres of silica into layers of graphene. The bullets hit the material at 6,700 mph. Graphene absorbed the impact of the bullets much better than steel and Kevlar.
Graphene is made up of hexagonal carbon atoms. Each atom is one atom thick, which ensures its incredible versatility. It could even replace silicon in computers. Graphene is so thin that it can be fabricated into any shape or size that a manufacturer needs.
Graphene is an extremely strong material. Its strength makes it the hardest natural substance known to man. A square meter sheet of graphene weighs just 0.0077 grams, yet it can support a weight of up to 4 kg. This enables the manufacture of thin and lightweight screens. Its flexibility also allows it to be used in foldable screens.
Fullerite
Scientists from MIPT, Skoltech, and NUST have developed a new substance known as fullerite, which is the hardest natural substance known to man. It is composed of 60-atom spheres of carbon that are united by omnidirectional covalent bonds. Its hardness factor ranges from 150 to 300 GPa. This substance can be created by catalyzing the addition of carbon disulfide under half the pressure necessary to produce diamond.
The synthesis of ultrahard fullerite was first reported by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Fullerenes are molecular spheres of carbon that were first discovered in 1985 at Rice University. The discovery earned Richard Smalley, Harold Kroto, and Robert Curl the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their work inspired the name buckminsterfullerene, which derived from the atomic resemblance between the structure of fullerenes and Fuller’s geodesic domes.
The structure of fullerene crystals is unique, making it harder than diamond. These molecules are arranged in a cage-like structure, making them more rigid. The material is soft under normal conditions, but under high pressure, it can become as hard as diamond. Scientists have studied fullerene crystals for the past 20 years, but they still don’t know the reasons behind their ultrahardness. However, several theories have been put forth to explain this unusual crystalline structure.
Diamond is the most hard substance known to man. However, scientists are working to create materials that are harder than diamond. Diamond is the hardest substance on the Mohs scale, which was developed by German geologist Frederich Mohs in 1812.
Wurtzite boron nitride
Boron nitride is a compound that is composed of the 5th and 7th elements on the periodic table. It can be crystalline or amorphous and is 18% harder than diamond. This compound is found naturally in volcanic eruptions. Scientists have also synthesized the substance in the lab.
Diamond was previously believed to be the hardest natural substance. However, recent computer simulations have revealed the existence of other, rare substances with hardness higher than diamond. Lonsdaleite, an amorphous carbon compound, is 58% harder than diamond. Similarly, wurtzite boron nitride, an alloy of carbon and nitrogen, is 18% harder than diamond.
Another rare material is wurtzite. This mineral is even harder than diamond and is so rare that only a handful of scientists know about it. The name wurtzite comes from ancient Greek. Wurtzite is a type of boron nitride, which is the hardest naturally occurring substance.
While diamond is the hardest natural substance, w-BN is actually a synthetic compound that is similar in structure. It is only found naturally in volcanic eruptions and is approximately 18% harder than steel. Its properties also make it chemically stable at high temperatures.
Borosilicate is a form of boron nitride that was first created in 1957. It exists in several allotropes, including hexagonal boron nitride, which shares the same crystalline structure as diamond. It has excellent thermal and chemical stability, which makes it a popular superhard coating in the automotive and aerospace industries.
High-performance polythene
High-performance polyethylene is one of the most durable synthetic materials. Its tensile strength is over twelve thousand pounds per square inch, which makes it an ideal material for many applications. It has a melting point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit and is very resistant to abrasion, heat, solvents, and acids.
While diamond is considered the hardest natural substance, there are six other substances that are harder. High-performance polythene is marketed as the world’s strongest fiber, and is lighter than water. High-performance polythene is 15 times stronger than steel and 15 times lighter than water. Other materials that are remarkably strong are nanotechnology and palladium microalloy glass.
Another high-performance polymer is PEEK, a polymer with a tensile strength of 14,000 psi. It is also resistant to abrasion, water, and chemical agents. It is also highly resistant to biodegradation and has a low moisture absorption rate. This polymer is ideal for high-performance applications that require high tensile strength and high abrasion resistance.