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willstaruss22
- 108
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Im just curious if Humans have created anything harder than a diamond.
dbmorpher said:Now the hardest thing nature has ever created (by nature I mean space) Is neutronium, if it exists
phinds said:I don't think that's actually helpful, even if it does exist, because you can't DO anything with it. As I understand it, as soon as a small amount of was removed from a neutron star, it would separate explosively.
dbmorpher said:Now the hardest thing nature has ever created (by nature I mean space) Is neutronium, if it exists
The hardest man made material is currently considered to be ultrahard fullerite, a form of carbon that is produced under extremely high pressure and has a hardness of about 150 GPa (gigapascals). This is significantly harder than diamond, which has a hardness of about 70 GPa.
Ultrahard fullerite is made by subjecting a material called fullerite, which is made of carbon atoms arranged in a spherical shape, to extremely high pressure. This causes the carbon atoms to bond in a different way, creating a harder and more compact material.
Besides ultrahard fullerite, other man made materials that are known for their hardness include boron nitride nanotubes, which have a hardness of about 100 GPa, and tungsten carbide, which has a hardness of about 30 GPa.
The hardness of a material is typically measured using the Vickers hardness test or the Mohs hardness scale. The Vickers test involves indenting a material with a diamond pyramid and measuring the size of the indentation. The Mohs scale, on the other hand, rates the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their ability to scratch each other.
Yes, the hardness of a material can be improved through various methods such as increasing its density, altering its crystal structure, or adding other elements to the material. However, there is a limit to how hard a material can be made, and it also depends on the specific properties and intended use of the material.