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Graphite (/ ˈ ɡ r æ f aɪ t /) is a crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked layers of graphene, typically in the excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions.
Diamond and graphite materials and structure. Diamond is an allotrope of carbon where the atoms are arranged in a modified version of face-centered cubic (fcc) structure known as "diamond cubic". It is known for its hardness (see table above) and incompressibility and is targeted for some potential optical and electrical applications.
Mohs hardness kit, containing one specimen of each mineral on the ten-point hardness scale. The Mohs scale (/ m oʊ z / MOHZ) of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale, from 1 to 10, characterizing scratch resistance of minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.
A variety of hardness-testing methods are available, including the Vickers, Brinell, Rockwell, Meyer and Leeb tests. Although it is impossible in many cases to give an exact conversion, it is possible to give an approximate material-specific comparison table for steels.
Diamond is clear and transparent, but graphite is black and opaque. Diamond is the hardest mineral known (10 on the Mohs scale), but graphite is one of the softest (1–2 on Mohs scale). Diamond is the ultimate abrasive, but graphite is soft and is a very good lubricant.
Graphite may occupy 6 to 10% of the volume of grey iron. Silicon is important for making grey iron as opposed to white cast iron , because silicon is a graphite stabilizing element in cast iron, which means it helps the alloy produce graphite instead of iron carbides ; at 3% silicon almost no carbon is held in chemical form as iron carbide.
When testing coatings, scratch hardness refers to the force necessary to cut through the film to the substrate. The most common test is Mohs scale, which is used in mineralogy. One tool to make this measurement is the sclerometer. Another tool used to make these tests is the pocket hardness tester. This tool consists of a scale arm with ...