At low applied forces, the hardness of rhenium diboride is equivalent to cubic boron nitride, the second-hardest material known, Kaner said. At higher applied forces, rhenium diboride is a little bit below that.
"Our material is hard enough to scratch diamond, and much harder than osmium diboride," he said.
While other super-hard materials, including diamond and cubic boron nitride, are made under expensive, high-pressure conditions, "our material is made in a simple process without applying pressure," Kaner said.
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Speaking of the collaboration, Kaner said, "The reason I came to UCLA, and a reason I love this place, is because whatever you do -- in my own case, whenever you make a new material -- you often need equipment and expertise that you don't have. At UCLA, there will be an expert in that area who has the equipment, and every time I've asked, everybody is happy to help you do experiments and excited to collaborate with you."
Despite the potential of new super-hard materials, they are not likely to replace diamond any time soon, Kaner said.
