Before the brains of 20th century humans got in the game, it would take the earth a billion years to pressurize carbon into a diamond. Now laboratories at Apollo Diamond in Boston, Massachusetts can produce nearly flawless 1-carat diamonds in less than a month.



Robert Linares is responsible for inventing a diamond-growing technique known as “chemical vapour deposition” (CVD). According to an article in USA Today, CVD “uses a combination of carbon gases, temperature (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) and pressure that…re-creates conditions present at the beginning of the universe. Atoms from the vapor land on a tiny diamond chip placed in the chamber. Then the vapor particles take on the structure of that diamond — growing the diamond, atom by atom, into a much bigger diamond.” Impressive. The mass-production of lab-produced diamonds is predicted to bring with it the most significant influence on technology and how we live since the age of steel. According to SmithsonianMag.com, engineers “hope to make everything from higher-powered lasers to more durable power grids. They foresee razor-thin computers, wristwatch-size cellphones and digital recording devices that would let you hold thousands of movies in the palm of your hand.” Lets have a look at how diamonds are already re-shaping the world of technology and ultimately our everyday lives.

Quantum Cryptography

For as long as there have been codes there have been those who can crack them. Scientists have been experimenting with quantum cryptography for the last few years as a means for ultra-fast, ultra-secure, communication. They’ve discovered that the ultimate method to protect information would be to send it using the basic unit of light known as the photon. According to the laws of quantum physics, which dictates that by observing a quantum state you alter its behaviour, by sending info along this single particle of light, it would be impossible for anyone to stop it, copy it, or even read it without being its state being altered, and therefore detected. The only problem is that identifying, measuring and monitoring a single photon has never been possible, let alone aiming one from earth to a satellite for data transmission purposes. Until now.



Researchers have discovered that diamonds possess the ability to process and measure one photon at a time, a discovery which is revolutionizing quantum cryptography and the transmission of secret information. Millions of dollars are being invested in science labs around the world to produce nanodiamonds, super-tiny (a thousandth the diameter of a human hair, tiny) imperfect diamonds which when hit by the beam of a laser give off, yes you guessed it, a single photon. Once a code is encrypted within the elemental particle, cracking it without detection will be impossible. And with photon communication underway, photon torpedoes can’t be too far behind.

Chemotherapy

Diamonds have proven to be particularly useful for helping cancer patients on the road to recovery. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments have been very successful at destroying the quick-to-multiply cancer cells, but the drugs and radiation’s broad range of effectiveness along with their inability to distinguish good cells from bad ones, often leave patients crippled with painful and debilitating side-effects.



Tiny patches of flexible microfilm laced with nanodiamonds are in development, patches which would be placed on the malignant tumour or cancerous area. The tiny particles of diamond dust gradually release the chemotherapy drugs directly into the cancer, without affecting the surrounding area. This would drastically reduce the horrible side effects endured by chemotherapy patients who are overly exposed to toxic drugs. Diamonds are are compatible with human body tissues as they are “highly ordered structures, which cells like. If they didn’t, cells would become inflamed,” and they are eventually disposed of in human waste.

Lasers

Lasers are already pretty fantastic. But for close to two decades now scientists around the world have been trying to harness the diamond’s ability to transmit heat and light in order to create an even more amazing super-laser. Leading his research team at Macquarie University, Richard Mildren has helped create the world’s first diamond laser. When light hits a diamond, the photons either gain or lose energy inside and create a secondary light. Employing a technique known as Raman scattering, Mildren’s team then amplifies this secondary light by reflecting it and by injecting high amounts of energy into the system, which in turn emits a laser beam. Future applications of this new diamond laser include terahertz threat detection (eg. torso scanning devices in airports), super high precision laser surgery, and of course, laser weapons.



Data Storage

Wants to hold a TB (1000 Giga Bytes) on a single disc? Single crystal diamond spheres are key to the next wave in data storage. To increase the storage capacity of a disk you need to decrease the wavelengths of the readout laser while increasing the numerical aperture (NA) of the focusing lens. In order to do this you need a transparent lens with a high refractive index. Diamonds are perfect as they happen to have the largest refractive index of any transparent material in the blue and ultraviolet region of the spectrum. These solid-immersion lenses or SILs will drastically increase the amount of storage available in today’s CDs and DVDs. Diamond lenses are also used in x-ray machines and vacuum chambers.

Communication

Before our ability to mass produce diamonds existed, harnessing their properties to improve sophisticated electronic devices was far a too expensive and impractical endeavour. But now, armed with the ability to produce diamond films in a matter of hours, companies are beginning to experiment with diamond coated cell phone components. Diamond films will hyper-accelerate the speed with which signals can transmit from one set of circuitry to another, allowing for super-fast, crystal-clear communication, literally.

Tools

Thanks to their virtual indestructibility, diamonds make for excellent cutting, drilling and polishing tools. In fact, only 20% of the diamonds mined today are set in jewellery, while the rest are put to work in industry. Power saws equipped with diamond-imbedded blades can cut smoothly and precisely through most materials including granite, marble, reinforced concrete and steel. Surgeons use diamond edged scalpels for ultra-precise incisions during cardiovascular, neurological and ocular surgeries. Drill bits with diamond sintered edges can drill through just about any surface on the planet, and diamonds which have been turned into dust or paste are the essential ingredients for polishing tough surfaces like stone, concrete, and marble. A diamond’s hardness, durability and heat conductivity greatly outweighs its initial cost in the long run, outlasting 100% of its rival minerals.

For thousands of years alchemists have been engaged in the pursuit of transforming common metals into gold. What they should have doing is what Robert Linares has managed to achieve: transforming diamonds, into more diamonds. And while they may be a woman’s best friend, chemical vapour deposition is fast becoming humankind’s.