Scientists managed to develop a method of creating artificial diamonds in conditions of room temperature and ordinary atmospheric pressure. This revolutionary approach eliminates the need to use the original crystal, simplifying and accelerating the process of synthesis.
Usually diamonds are formed in the earth’s mantle at a depth of 140-240 kilometers under the influence of extreme temperatures and pressure. Subsequently, volcanic eruptions deliver them closer to the surface, where diamonds are found in rocks such as kimberlit, or in alluvial deposits.
To simulate these conditions in the laboratory, the HPHT method (high pressure and temperature) is used, but it requires significant resources and is limited in scale. Alternative methods, such as chemical precipitation from the steam phase (CVD), bypass part of these problems, but still depend on the presence of the starting diamond.
New Methodology , developed by the team of Ruoff from the Institute of Fundamental Research in South Korea eliminates these restrictions. For the synthesis of diamonds, a mixture of heated gallium with a small amount of silicon, placed in a specially created chamber, is used. The experiment showed that the optimal combination of gallium, nickel and iron allows you to form diamonds in a matter of hours.
Despite the prospects, this method has restrictions so far. The created diamonds are extremely small and not suitable for jewelry, but can find use in the technological field, for example, in tools for drilling and polishing. Scientists suggest that the process can be scaled, which in the future will make it commercially attractive.
A constant reduction in diamond prices caused by an excess of supply, a drop in demand and an increase in the popularity of synthetic stones, intensifies against the background of innovation in their production. The development of methods that allow you to create diamonds at room temperature and normal pressure can speed up this process, increasing the supply and exerting additional pressure on the market.