Harder Than Diamond? The New Hexagonal Diamond Breakthrough (EP 38)

Harder Than Diamond? The New Hexagonal Diamond Breakthrough (EP 38)

Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, this episode is a deep dive into one of the strangest and most hard-fought materials science stories in decades: the claim that researchers have finally synthesized bulk hexagonal diamond, also known as lonsdaleite. They break down why this material matters, how it differs from ordinary cubic diamond, why scientists argued about its existence for more than 50 years, and what the new Nature paper actually did to convince skeptical reviewers.


Summary


Why hexagonal diamond matters — if real, it is a long-sought carbon phase that could be slightly harder than conventional diamond and useful in extreme industrial settings.


The first-principles chemistry — carbon allotropes, x-ray crystallography, cubic diamond, and the ABAB stacking that makes hexagonal diamond different.


The experimental breakthrough — how the new team engineered around the default pathway to ordinary diamond by controlling graphite orientation and pressure direction.


The controversy — why the peer review was intense, and how the new paper relates to an earlier 2025 Nature paper with a similar claim.


Support the show
Donate: FFPod.com/donate
Follow: @FFPod on X / Instagram / TikTok / Facebook

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(63)

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 Explained: Mirror Molecules (EP 63)

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 Explained: Mirror Molecules (EP 63)

Why does life favor one molecular mirror image? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.Lester Na...

7 Okt 1h 20min

Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 Explained: IceCube & Neutrinos (EP 62)

Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 Explained: IceCube & Neutrinos (EP 62)

Why build a telescope inside a billion tons of Antarctic ice? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes Francis Halzen's work on IceCube and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos.In ...

6 Okt 1h 2min

Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 Explained: Optogenetics (EP 61)

Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 Explained: Optogenetics (EP 61)

How do you prove what a brain cell actually does? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine celebrates a remarkable answer: give cells a light-sensitive protein, then switch their activity on or off with light...

5 Okt 1h 11min

2026 Nobel Prize Predictions: Medicine, Physics & Chemistry (EP 60)

2026 Nobel Prize Predictions: Medicine, Physics & Chemistry (EP 60)

Who could win the 2026 Nobel Prizes? From the science behind Ozempic to quantum interference and droplets inside living cells, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary make their picks for Medicine, Physics ...

3 Okt 40min

Golden Goose Awards 2026: The Science Behind the Winners (Part 1) (EP 59)

Golden Goose Awards 2026: The Science Behind the Winners (Part 1) (EP 59)

What connects a noise complaint, holiday lights seen from space, and the physics of a coffee stain? Three unexpected paths from basic research to discoveries with real-world impact.Krishna Choudhary a...

29 Sep 2h 7min

What OpenAI Actually Did to Navier-Stokes (EP 58)

What OpenAI Actually Did to Navier-Stokes (EP 58)

What does it mean to solve an equation that describes almost every fluid around us, from the air over a wing to the water swirling down a drain?In Episode 58 of From First Principles, Lester Nare and ...

24 Sep 4h 9min

What’s Next in Science? Nobel Prizes, Space Missions & More (EP 57)

What’s Next in Science? Nobel Prizes, Space Missions & More (EP 57)

What science should you be watching this fall? From Nobel Prize season to NASA’s Roman Space Telescope, Mars’ moons and Mercury, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary take a relaxed tour of the discoverie...

14 Sep 1h 3min

The Yak Mutation That Could Help Repair the Brain (EP 56)

The Yak Mutation That Could Help Repair the Brain (EP 56)

What can a yak living thousands of meters above sea level teach us about repairing the human brain?In Episode 56 of From First Principles, Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary break down a new Neuron pap...

7 Sep 1h 35min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

p3-dystopia
dumma-manniskor
allt-du-velat-veta
rss-mottagningen
rss-ronden
angestpodden
rss-ai-med-jonas-benjamin
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
medicinvetarna
halsorevolutionen
det-morka-psyket
vetenskap-och-halsa
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
ufo-sverige
sexet
rss-spraket
rss-vetenskapsradion
babyzpodcast
svd-nyhetsartiklar
ideer-som-forandrar-varlden