New research has emerged that could significantly impact various industries with a revolutionary technique for diamond production. Traditionally, diamonds take billions of years to form naturally or weeks to be produced synthetically. However, a new method developed by researchers at South Korea’s Institute for Basic Science can grow diamonds in just 150 minutes using a special liquid metal mix, all at normal atmospheric pressure.
This new technique eliminates the need for immense pressure typically required for diamond production, offering a faster and more efficient alternative. Led by the team, the researchers believe this method can be scaled up for significant industrial applications. While dissolving carbon in liquid metal is not a new concept, previous methods involved high pressure and diamond seeds. The new approach utilizes a specific blend of liquid metals – gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon – heated rapidly in a vacuum chamber with methane and hydrogen gases.
Under these conditions, carbon atoms become suspended in the liquid metal, forming diamond crystal seeds in just 15 minutes. Tiny diamond fragments then emerge, and a continuous diamond film can be formed within 150 minutes. Although the researchers acknowledge limitations such as the current diamond film’s depth, they are confident that improvements can be made through a larger growth area and optimized carbon distribution methods.
This groundbreaking technique has the potential to revolutionize diamond production in various fields, including industrial applications, electronics, and even quantum computers. The study’s authors believe that this liquid metal approach can be further developed to grow diamonds on diverse surfaces and existing diamond particles. The research was published in the journal Nature and offers a promising solution for a faster, easier, and more efficient way to produce diamonds.
