Boron, aluminum, and magnesium have been combined with a small amount of silicon and other additives to make a material second in hardness only to diamond, report researchers at Ames National Laboratory, Ames, Lowa. The material, nicknamed BAM, has hardness reported to be 46 Gpa, compared with 45 Gpa for cubic boron nitride and 70 to 100 Gpa for diamond. However, cubic boron nitride costs from
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