South Korean scientists have made a significant breakthrough in the field of artificial diamond synthesis. Their innovative method simplifies and speeds up the process of creating these precious stones, unlike traditional technologies that require extremely high pressure conditions. The new technique allows for synthesis at standard atmospheric pressure, with a high temperature of about 1025 °C being the only necessary condition.
This breakthrough has the potential to reduce costs and increase the scalability of industrial artificial diamond production, which is widely used in high-tech industries. By eliminating the need for complex and expensive equipment to create super-high pressure conditions, the development by South Korean scientists could revolutionize the diamond synthesis industry (source).
Using a mixture of liquid metals like gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon, the scientists were able to grow a continuous diamond film in just 150 minutes. Carbon atoms from methane are incorporated into the molten metal, acting as “seeds” for diamond formation. The first diamond crystals appear within 15 minutes of starting the process.
This new approach could transform the production of diamonds, which have wide-ranging applications in industry, electronics, and even quantum computers. Traditional methods of creating synthetic diamonds are time-consuming and require much higher pressure.
Researchers from the Institute of Basic Sciences are confident that this process can be scaled up and improved through various modifications to increase the diamond cultivation area. The new method also offers the potential for using other liquid metals and accelerating diamond production on different surfaces.