Chemical element more than one way, allowing the pure element to exist in multiple chemical structures (spatial arrangements of atoms), known as allotropes, which differ in their properties. For example, carbon can be found as diamond, which has a tetrahedral structure around each carbon atom; graphite, which has layers of carbon atoms with a hexagonal structure stacked on top of each other; graphene, which is a single layer of graphite that is very strong; fullerenes, which have nearly spherical shapes; and carbon nanotubes, which are tubes with a hexagonal structure (even these may differ from each other in electrical properties). The ability
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