WASHINGTON, D.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Man-made diamonds are big business. More and more are popping up in jewelry stores nationwide, but even lab-grown diamonds have their flaws. Thanks to new technology, some man-made gems that may be better than earth-mined ones.
You need Flash Player 8 or higher to view video content with the ROO Flash Player.
Click here to download and install it.
Despite a bad reputation, lab-grown diamonds have traits identical to gems from earth -- and they aren't just for jewelry. Today more diamonds are used in technology and industry than as jewels.
Traditional lab-growing methods mimic the high pressures within earth that make diamonds naturally. Now, physicists at the Carnegie Institution for Science use an existing technique called chemical vapor deposition, or CVD, in a new way to grow diamonds at low pressures.
"What's really great about the CVD method is that we have complete control over the growth conditions and the growth process," John Janik, Ph.D., a physicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., told Ivanhoe. "We know exactly what is going into the diamond film that we grow."
To grow a diamond the CVD way, scientists place a single diamond crystal in a large chamber. Then, methane and hydrogen gases are injected into the chamber and heated using microwave energy, which breaks the crystal into carbon atoms. These atoms realign themselves and build up layer-by-layer to form a new diamond in one day
"We can make any color diamond you want," Dr. Janik said. "One of our researchers grows blue diamonds. We can grow yellow diamonds. We can grow crystal clear diamonds. We can even make black diamonds."
But these stones aren't headed to stores. They're destined for technology that may help computers run 100 times faster, and researchers say with CVD, there are no limits on growing the largest stones in the world.
"Within the next year or so, we hope to be able grow 100-carat diamonds, and in the long run we'd like to be able grow kilo-carat diamonds," Dr. Janik said.
Fundamentally, there is no difference between man-made diamonds and earth-mined stones. However, natural diamonds generally have many more defects. A one-carat, colored, man-made diamond costs about a third of the price of its natural counterpart.
The Materials Research Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Geophysical Union contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
John A. Janik, Ph.D.
Fellow, Geophysical Laboratory
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Washington, DC 20015-1305
(202) 478-8984 (office)
jjanik@ciw.edu
Materials Research Society
Warrendale, PA 15086-7573
(724) 779-3003
webmaster@mrs.org
From Texas to Calgary, people were asking, "What is it? Could it be something from space?" It's not a UFO. Instead of flying in the sky, it runs on the road.
The earth's climate is expected to continue warming for years to come. Now, a new study suggests certain areas of the country may see more climate changes than others. Which areas will feel the most heat?
Man-made diamonds are big business. More and more are popping up in jewelry stores nationwide, but even lab-grown diamonds have their flaws. Thanks to new technology, some man-made gems that may be better than earth-mined ones.
Nearly 1 million Americans will suffer a heart attack in 2009. About half of those people will die. The FDA has just cleared the way for a new scan that can see inside a blood vessel and find a major cause of many heart attacks.
Twin births are on the rise. Over 130,000 twins are born each year in the United States alone. With more of these births come more complications. A life-saving procedure is keeping identical babies safe.
How do you learn to do major surgery without actually doing surgery? By 2010, nationally accredited medical schools will be required to have hands-on programs to prepare students for increasingly complex procedures before they actually go into surgery
Fifty million people live every day with ringing in their ears. It's called tinnitus, and there is no cure. A new treatment could silence the ringing and give thousands of sufferers relief.
Coal miners provide the raw material for nearly half of America's power. Mining is a necessity, but it's a dangerous job. Every year, 40 people in the United States die trapped in a mine, and China alone reported almost 4,000 coal mining deaths in 2007.
It's likely an earthquake is hitting somewhere in the world right now. There are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year, and don't think you're not at risk. Between 1975 and 1995, all states except four experienced an earthquake.
Flying can be stressful. Add in thunder and lightning, and it's bound to strike a nerve. Now, physicists are helping find the friendliest route in those sometimes unfriendly skies.
Commercial airplanes run into severe turbulence 5,000 times a year. Most of it happens above 10,000 feet, and the injury claims alone track into the tens of millions of dollars.
