Diamond crystal. Solid carbon comes in different forms known as allotropes depending on the type of chemical bond. The two most common allotropes of pure carbon are diamond and graphite. In graphite the bonds are sp orbital hybrids and the atoms form in planes with each bound to three nearest neighbors 120 degrees apart. In diamond they are sp and the atoms form tetrahedra with each bound to four nearest neighbors. Tetrahedra are rigid, the bonds are strong, and of all known substances diamond has the greatest number of atoms per unit volume, which is why it is both the hardest
Element Six vapour deposition technology opened the opportunity to synthesize diamond films and a new raft of application areas became possible. In 2002, the company changed its name to Element Six and its business focus moved towards building an enterprise based on advanced material applications for increasingly sophisticated engineering customers backed by global technical support and a strong research and development organization. In 2013 Element Six opened the world’s largest and most sophisticated synthetic diamond research and development facility. The Global Innovation Centre, near Oxford, UK develops a pipeline of innovative synthetic diamond and related supermaterial products for customers, in industries from