Scientists at the South Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) have developed a new method that allows them to create artificial diamonds in just a few minutes. The technique is based on a mixture of liquid metals, and allows stones to be created with much less compression required than other synthetic forms.
Understand:
- Scientists at the South Korean Institute of Basic Sciences have developed a method to create artificial diamonds in just a few minutes;
- The technique involves a mixture of liquid metals exposed to methane and hydrogen heated to 1,025°C (1,877°F) and rapidly cooled in a custom vacuum system;
- Thanks to the metal compound, the process allows diamonds to be created at a much lower pressure than that required in other artificial processes;
- In just 15 minutes, scientists created fragments of diamond crystals; in two and a half hours, a continuous film was produced;
- The method continues to be studied by the team in search of improvements;
- The article was published in the journal Nature.
As described by the team in an article published in the journal Nature, a continuous diamond film was created in just 150 minutes, at a temperature of 1,025°C or 1,877°F and pressure of 1 atm (standard atmosphere unit) – which is equivalent to pressure at sea level and is thousands of times lower than that normally required in other processes.
Read more:
Method produces diamond fragments in 15 minutes
As the team explains in the article, it was possible to reduce the necessary pressure thanks to a mixture of gallium, iron, nickel and silicon in liquid forms. The compound was exposed to a combination of methane and hydrogen gases while being heated and cooled very quickly in a custom vacuum system built into a graphite casing.
In the process, the carbon atoms from methane spread into the liquid metal and act as “seeds” for the diamonds. In just 15 minutes, scientists noticed that small fragments of diamond crystals had already been extruded from below the surface of the metal. After two and a half hours, the team produced a continuous diamond film.
Researchers are now looking to improve the process. “We suggest that simple modifications could allow diamonds to be grown over a very large area, using a larger surface or interface, setting up heating elements to reach a much larger potential growth region, and distributing carbon to the diamond-growing region of some new ways.” write in the article.
