A new method of making diamonds has been developed that doesn’t require extreme pressure, as reported by North Carolina State University researchers. This breakthrough technique involves converting carbon nanofibers and nanotubes into diamond fibers, which opens up a wide range of applications, from field emission frictionless motors to quantum sensing and computing.
The researchers achieved this by using high-power CTT (continuous wave laser) to melt carbon thin films on a substrate of sapphire, glass, or plastic, and then undercooling the liquid carbon to direct its solidification into diamond structures. This method bypasses the need for high temperatures and pressures typically required in traditional diamond creation methods, such as high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD).