Scientists Create First Large Sample of Meteorite Diamond

Scientists Create First Large Sample of Meteorite Diamond
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Scientists have successfully created the first sizable sample of lonsdaleite, also known as hexagonal diamond, a material predicted to be harder than natural diamonds, Live Science reported. The breakthrough was achieved by researchers at the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research in Beijing, who used high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis to replicate conditions similar to a meteorite impact.

Using a diamond anvil cell, the team compressed purified graphite under pressures of around 20 gigapascals while applying laser heating above 1,400°C. This process rearranged the carbon atoms into the hexagonal structure characteristic of lonsdaleite. Although the resulting disks contained impurities, including fragments of cubic diamond, X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy confirmed the hexagonal layers.

The structure differs slightly from conventional diamond, containing two repeating layers of carbon atoms rather than three, which scientists believe could make it up to 58% harder. While the samples remain too small for definitive hardness testing, researchers confirmed the material is at least as tough as standard diamond.

Experts say larger, purer samples are needed before applications can be explored. If scalable, hexagonal diamond could one day replace conventional diamond in industries such as electronics, precision machining, quantum technologies, and thermal management systems.