Response to Comment on "Synthesis of Ultra-Incompressible Superhard Rhenium Diboride at Ambient Pressure"

Abstract

Dubrovinskaia et al . question our demonstration that rhenium diboride (ReB 2 ) is hard enough to scratch diamond. Here, we provide conclusive evidence of a scratch through atomic force microscopy depth profiling and elemental mapping. With high hardness, high-bulk modulus, and the ability to withstand extreme differential stress, ReB 2 and related materials should be investigated regardless of their cost, which is not prohibitive.