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Typically, traditional diamonds are created over billions of years deep within the Earth, requiring extreme pressure and heat to come to life.
Now, an international team of researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and RMIT University in Australia has discovered a new way to create ultra-hard diamonds in minutes and without using heat.
Their findings were published in the journal Small on November 4th.
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This new technique may seem ideal for jewelers and those looking to get engaged, but it’s not that type of diamond.
Lab-created diamond would be most useful for tools used to cut incredibly strong materials, such as a new type of protective coating or other industrial devices that require toughness, New Atlasrelationships.
The team fell on their discovery using a diamond anvil cell, which creates extremely strong pressures, which created a surprising reaction in the carbon atoms in the device.
Jodie Bradby, an ANU professor, said the team almost lost their discovery and that “The turning point in history is how we apply the pressure. “
“In addition to very high pressures, we also allow carbon to experience something called ‘shear’, which is like a torsion or sliding force. We believe this allows the carbon atoms to move into place and form Lonsdaleite and normal diamond.” he said he continued.
Typically, Lonsdaleite diamonds can be found in meteorite impact craters.
In its discovery, the team found the diamonds formed in bands that resemble rivers. “Seeing these little “rivers” of Lonsdaleite and regular diamonds for the first time was just amazing and really helps us understand how they could form, “explained RMIT professor Dougal McCulloch.
The team now hopes to create larger quantities of these man-made diamonds, as “Lonsdaleite has the potential to be used to cut ultra-solid materials in mining sites, ”Bradby said, a method that would prove useful in a number of industries.
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