Dhaka, Aug. 9 -- Chinese researchers have successfully synthesized a rare form of diamond, known as hexagonal diamond or lonsdaleite, previously found only in meteorites, marking a major breakthrough in the development of super hard materials.

According to Chinese media reports, the achievement was detailed in a study published Wednesday in Nature by scientists from the Centre for High-Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research. They transformed high-purity natural graphite single crystals into hexagonal diamonds under precisely controlled high-temperature, high-pressure, and quasi-hydrostatic conditions.

Hexagonal diamonds are believed to be harder than conventional cubic diamonds found on Earth, which have structural weaknesses d...