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Fun Fact: Diamonds Are No Longer The World's Hardest Material.


Amauros
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Wurtzite Boron Nitride and the mineral Lonsdaleite are both theoretically stronger diamond. They're found in volcanoes and meteorites containing graphite (respectively), but are extremely rare naturally and just as hard if not harder to produce than artificial diamonds (which is why most people have never heard of them). Therefore there have been no thorough stress tests, but what tests they have done show them to be 80% and 58% stronger than diamond (that's quite a reach pasts Mohs rating of 10).

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That's cool.

I can't wait for scientists to figure out how to make artificial [insert those here].

That would be fun.

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Wurtzite Boron Nitride

I've heard about this and its supposed harder-than-diamond properties many a year back, but I have never heard about Lonsdaleite. It would be nice to have a blade that cuts even through diamond... but only if it becomes commercially available.

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Anonymouse

Uses for such a blade would outweigh potential weapon uses, I hope...

Weapon uses? How often do diamonds get used in weapons? :P

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Armor-piercing ammunition (including rockets/missiles) could use diamond tips, but this is pretty rare because there's not usually anything quite thick enough to require it in active combat. Stuff like this is more commonly used in things like saw blades for cutting hard materials like concrete. The thing is though, WBN can withstand higher temperatures before oxidizing like diamonds will, and increase in strength under stress (due to how the atoms rearrange themselves) and thereby makes it the ideal switch to for tough tools.

As for the lonsdaleite, it's also known as hexagonal diamond... because it's made out of pure carbon as well. Unfortunately, the source I was reading didn't have much to say about its specific properties besides its hardness.

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Armor-piercing ammunition (including rockets/missiles) could use diamond tips, but this is pretty rare because there's not usually anything quite thick enough to require it in active combat.

I don't know, I can smash a diamond with a hammer. I don't think it would work well as an armor-piercing tip. There's a reason that tungsten is used most of the time. Now, a diamond-edged saw obviously benefits because diamond can't be scratched by anything other than diamond or harder materials, but it can't be used as an effective bludgeoning or piercing weapon. It would just break.

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...I can smash a diamond with a hammer...

I'd like to see you do that. The reason tungsten is used is because it's a metal and therefore easier to mass produce ammunition with tungsten tips.

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RockmoddeR

Diamonds, rubies, and other crystalline gemstones and minerals are very easy to shatter. There IS a difference between hardness and toughness.

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I can crush diamonds into dust by sitting on them like Doctor Robotnik and his PINGAS can.

There are other things harder then diamonds, like Chaos Emeralds.

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Minifig9292

I can crush diamonds into dust by sitting on them like Doctor Robotnik and his PINGAS can.

There are other things harder then diamonds, like Chaos Emeralds.

You just called yourself fat.

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I can crush diamonds into dust by sitting on them like Doctor Robotnik and his PINGAS can.

There are other things harder then diamonds, like Chaos Emeralds.

You just called yourself fat.

He did call himself fat xD

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Minifig9292

I can crush diamonds into dust by sitting on them like Doctor Robotnik and his PINGAS can.

There are other things harder then diamonds, like Chaos Emeralds.

You just called yourself fat.

He did call himself fat xD

indubitably128597039696366331.jpg

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*gets picture in head of a really fat Sonic sitting on a diamond and smashing it*

*gets another picture of Robotnik smashing diamonds with his p...* NO NO NO NOT GOING TO GO THERE NONONONO

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Well I doubt you can smoke coca cola. The sugar content is too high and the carbonation would surly put out any fire (lol fighting fire with coke :af:)

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I have sometimes wished I owned a katana made from titanium with a completely diamond lined blade, it would be unbelievable sharp.

But that would take a long time to make, even with artificial diamonds, which are atomically exactly the same as a real diamond.

Actually I heard that an artificially made diamond is a little stronger then a real diamond because its more perfect.

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Artificial diamond has no luster to it... it just doesn't quite have the sparkle that draws women to real/natural diamonds. They're also mostly yellow because of the impurities gained from the metal used to contain them during the process to make artificial diamonds.

I've not heard one way or another about it being any stronger than natural diamond...

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Alexpanter

Artificial diamond has no luster to it... it just doesn't quite have the sparkle that draws women to real/natural diamonds. They're also mostly yellow because of the impurities gained from the metal used to contain them during the process to make artificial diamonds.

I've not heard one way or another about it being any stronger than natural diamond...

I lol'd at that part.

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