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Article analysis:

The article "Is the hardness of material harder than diamond reliable?" discusses the challenges in accurately measuring the hardness of superhard materials, which are materials that have been reported to be harder than diamond. The article highlights the importance of developing a systematic and reliable criterion for hardness testing, which is crucial in understanding the true nature of hardness and determining the applications of these materials.

The article presents a study where the Vickers diamond indenter and substitute indenters with the same shape were used to measure the hardness of nine ceramics and superhard materials within well-defined criteria and methodology. The findings suggest that when the indenter material is at least 18.2% harder than the testing sample, the measured hardness value agrees with that obtained from a genuine diamond indenter on the same material at the same load.

While this study provides valuable insights into evaluating new and emerging superhard materials, there are some potential biases and limitations in this article. Firstly, it is important to note that this study only considers a limited number of materials, and therefore, its findings may not be applicable to all superhard materials. Additionally, while this study suggests that using an indenter material that is at least 18.2% harder than the testing sample can lead to accurate measurements, it does not provide any evidence or explanation for why this threshold exists.

Furthermore, while this article acknowledges some uncertainties in measuring hardness values for materials harder than diamond due to possible permanent plastic deformation or damage of N-D indenter after conducting a test, it does not explore potential solutions or alternative methods for addressing these issues.

Overall, while this article provides useful insights into evaluating new and emerging superhard materials' hardness values, it is important to consider its limitations and potential biases when interpreting its findings. Further research is needed to develop more comprehensive criteria for accurately measuring hardness values for all types of superhard materials.