{"id":121619,"date":"2025-08-07T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/blocky-hexagonal-diamonds-60-harder-than-diamonds-are-now-available\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T09:13:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T01:13:51","slug":"blocky-hexagonal-diamonds-60-harder-than-diamonds-are-now-available","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/blocky-hexagonal-diamonds-60-harder-than-diamonds-are-now-available\/","title":{"rendered":"Blocky hexagonal diamonds, 60% harder than diamonds, are now available."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><br\/>Diamond has long been hailed as nature&#8217;s hardest substance, but that status may be about to change. A Chinese research team recently published a groundbreaking study in the journal <em>Nature<\/em>, successfully synthesizing a carbon material\u2014hexagonal diamond (HD)\u2014<strong>that is theoretically 60% harder than diamond<\/strong>. This achievement not only challenges conventional wisdom but also potentially opens up new avenues for the development of superhard materials and high-tech applications.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#%E9%91%BD%E7%9F%B3%E8%88%87%E5%85%AD%E6%96%B9%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B%E7%9F%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B7%AE%E7%95%B0%EF%BC%9A%E7%AB%8B%E6%96%B9%E5%B0%8D%E5%85%AD%E6%96%B9%E7%B5%90%E6%A7%8B\">The Difference Between Diamond and Hexagonal Diamond: Cubic vs. Hexagonal Structure<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#%E5%A4%A9%E7%84%B6-hd%EF%BC%9A%E4%BE%86%E8%87%AA%E5%A4%AA%E7%A9%BA%E7%9A%84%E8%AD%89%E6%93%9A\">Natural HD: Evidence from Space<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E7%AA%81%E7%A0%B4%EF%BC%9A%E6%88%90%E5%8A%9F%E5%90%88%E6%88%90%E7%B4%94%E6%B7%A8%E5%A1%8A%E7%8B%80%E5%85%AD%E6%96%B9%E9%91%BD%E7%9F%B3\">Research breakthrough: Successful synthesis of pure bulk hexagonal diamond<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#%E5%88%86%E5%AD%90%E5%B1%A4%E7%B4%9A%E7%9A%84%E7%B5%90%E6%A7%8B%E5%A5%A7%E7%A7%98%EF%BC%9A%E6%9B%B4%E5%BC%B7%E7%9A%84%E5%B1%A4%E9%96%93%E9%8D%B5\">The secret of molecular structure: stronger interlayer bonds<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#hd-%E7%9A%84%E6%BD%9B%E5%9C%A8%E6%87%89%E7%94%A8%EF%BC%9A%E5%BE%9E%E9%91%BD%E6%8E%A2%E5%B7%A5%E5%85%B7%E5%88%B0%E9%87%8F%E5%AD%90%E7%A7%91%E6%8A%80\">Potential applications of HD: from drilling tools to quantum technology<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#%E9%80%99%E4%B8%8D%E5%8F%AA%E6%98%AF%E4%B8%80%E9%A1%86%E9%91%BD%E7%9F%B3%EF%BC%9A%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%B8%E8%88%87%E6%9D%90%E6%96%99%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%AA%E4%BE%86%E9%87%8C%E7%A8%8B%E7%A2%91\">It&#8217;s More Than Just a Diamond: A Milestone in Science and the Future of Materials<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-04a84dd95e76b5320cfea30ae6807554\" id=\"&#x947D;&#x77F3;&#x8207;&#x516D;&#x65B9;&#x91D1;&#x525B;&#x77F3;&#x7684;&#x5DEE;&#x7570;&#xFF1A;&#x7ACB;&#x65B9;&#x5C0D;&#x516D;&#x65B9;&#x7D50;&#x69CB;\">The Difference Between Diamond and Hexagonal Diamond: Cubic vs. Hexagonal Structure<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Traditional diamonds have a cubic lattice structure, with each carbon atom forming stable sp\u00b3 covalent bonds with four adjacent carbon atoms, creating a strong tetrahedral network. This arrangement gives diamonds their exceptional hardness and excellent physical properties.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">However, as early as 60 years ago, scientists predicted another form of carbon structure: <strong>hexagonal diamond<\/strong>, which has a hexagonal lattice arrangement, unlike cubic diamond. In theory, this structure has superior mechanical properties, but it has always been difficult to synthesize in a pure state.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-072abebd65f2fb2307b6a0f57eabe078\" id=\"&#x5929;&#x7136;-hd&#xFF1A;&#x4F86;&#x81EA;&#x592A;&#x7A7A;&#x7684;&#x8B49;&#x64DA;\">Natural HD: Evidence from Space<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In nature, scientists have discovered trace amounts of hexagonal diamond at meteorite impact sites. For example, Lonsdaleite, a naturally occurring form of HD, is found in Diablo Crater in Arizona, USA. These minerals are often formed in the high-temperature and high-pressure environments created when meteorites impact graphite.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">However, these natural samples are often mixed with other carbon phases, such as graphite and cubic diamond, and have extremely small particles and very low purity, making them unusable in practical fields of materials science.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ab660fa0de3f6e4e21b733dcae47e18b\" id=\"&#x7814;&#x7A76;&#x7A81;&#x7834;&#xFF1A;&#x6210;&#x529F;&#x5408;&#x6210;&#x7D14;&#x6DE8;&#x584A;&#x72C0;&#x516D;&#x65B9;&#x947D;&#x77F3;\">Research breakthrough: Successful synthesis of pure bulk hexagonal diamond<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">After eight years of repeated experiments, a research team at the Beijing High Pressure Science Research Center has finally synthesized a block of HD crystals with a purity close to 100%. Measuring 1 mm in diameter and 70 microns thick, this is the largest and purest experimental sample to date.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Using h<strong>igh-quality single-crystal graphite<\/strong> as starting material, the researchers applied highly uniform pressure and high temperature in a specialized diamond anvil cell (DAC) and multi-anvil press to simulate the environment of a meteorite impact. They also used synchrotron radiation and electron microscopy to confirm the structure. This marks the first successful indoor production of <strong>large, fully structured<\/strong> HD crystals.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2e8b0f7aa888564bb2322ad49aef15eb\" id=\"&#x5206;&#x5B50;&#x5C64;&#x7D1A;&#x7684;&#x7D50;&#x69CB;&#x5967;&#x79D8;&#xFF1A;&#x66F4;&#x5F37;&#x7684;&#x5C64;&#x9593;&#x9375;\">The secret of molecular structure: stronger interlayer bonds<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Using advanced techniques such as Raman and infrared spectroscopy, the team discovered that all carbon bonds in the HD structure are sp\u00b3 \u03c3 bonds, <strong>with no sp\u00b2 \u03c0 bonds<\/strong> (characteristic of graphite). Particularly noteworthy is that one type of bond between the layers of the HD structure is significantly shorter than the other three types. This indicates stronger interlayer forces, which contributes to its high hardness.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In Vickers hardness tests, HD diamond <strong>exhibits significantly higher resistance to plastic deformation than conventional diamonds<\/strong>, proving that its superhard properties are not only theoretical but can also be verified experimentally.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d521120a99f8e0c88f12c94611cae5a0\" id=\"hd-&#x7684;&#x6F5B;&#x5728;&#x61C9;&#x7528;&#xFF1A;&#x5F9E;&#x947D;&#x63A2;&#x5DE5;&#x5177;&#x5230;&#x91CF;&#x5B50;&#x79D1;&#x6280;\">Potential applications of HD: from drilling tools to quantum technology<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">If HD materials can be manufactured in even thicker and larger volumes in the future, their potential applications will be vast. First, they could be used as superhard tool materials in geothermal drilling, deep mineral extraction, and highly wear-resistant mechanical components.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In addition, due to its high mechanical stability and perfect sp\u00b3 structure, HD may also play a key role in cutting-edge technologies such as quantum computing devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and high-frequency electronic components.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-0-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9fb57b371b25c6444953a1121f503cdc\" id=\"&#x9019;&#x4E0D;&#x53EA;&#x662F;&#x4E00;&#x9846;&#x947D;&#x77F3;&#xFF1A;&#x79D1;&#x5B78;&#x8207;&#x6750;&#x6599;&#x7684;&#x672A;&#x4F86;&#x91CC;&#x7A0B;&#x7891;\">It&#8217;s More Than Just a Diamond: A Milestone in Science and the Future of Materials<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The name diamond comes from the Greek word &#8220;ad\u00e1mas,&#8221; meaning &#8220;unconquerable.&#8221; The discovery of hexagonal diamond may redefine our understanding of the &#8220;hardest substance.&#8221; It&#8217;s not only a milestone in materials science, but also symbolizes another breakthrough in humanity&#8217;s ability to challenge the limits of nature.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">By further optimizing process conditions, improving precursor purity, and regulating parameters such as pressure and temperature, it is hoped that this carbon material, <strong>which is harder than diamond<\/strong>, can be mass-produced in the future, laying a more solid foundation for high-tech industry and the quantum era.<\/p>\n\n<p>References:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038\/s41586-025-09343-x <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>60% harder than diamond, scientists successfully synthesize bulk hexagonal diamond<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientists design superdiamonds with theoretically predicted hexagonal crystal structure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>We offer customized adjustments to the grinding process, tailored to meet processing requirements for maximum efficiency.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">Feel free to contact us and we will have specialist available to answer your questions.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">If you need customized quotations, you\u2019re also welcome to contact us.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">Customer Service Hours: Monday to Friday 09:00~18:00 (GMT+8)<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">Phone: +886<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=%E5%AE%8F%E5%B4%B4&amp;oq=%E5%AE%8F%E5%B4%B4&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MhAIARAuGK8BGMcBGIAEGI4FMgYIAhBFGDsyBwgDEAAYgAQyBggEEEUYPTIGCAUQRRg9MgYIBhBFGD0yBggHEEUYQdIBCDE5MDhqMGo3qAIIsAIB&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">7 223 1058<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">If you have a subject that you want to know or a phone call that is not clear, you are welcome to send a private message to Facebook~~<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"line-height:0.8\">Honway Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/lihi.cc\/LhR8c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/honwaygroup<\/a><\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-ast-global-color-0-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/honway-raw-materials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">We are Honway, by controlling our raw materials from the source, we ensure the quality of our products and offer you customized options.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-sharing-buttons has-normal-icon-size jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list\" id=\"jetpack-sharing-serivces-list\">\n<\/ul>\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n<p>You may be interested in&#8230;<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\"><p>[wpb-random-posts]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diamond has long been hailed as nature&#8217;s hardest substance, but that status may be about to change. A Chinese research team recently published a groundbreaking study in the journal Nature, successfully synthesizing a carbon material\u2014hexagonal diamond (HD)\u2014that is theoretically 60% harder than diamond. This achievement not only challenges conventional wisdom but also potentially opens up new avenues for the development of superhard materials and high-tech applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[796,3166],"tags":[2867],"class_list":["post-121619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diamond-knowledge","category-technological-insights","tag-diamond"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honwaygroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}