Synthetic diamond

Synthetic diamond is diamond produced through chemical or physical processes in a laboratory. Like naturally occurring diamond it is composed of a three-dimensional carbon crystal. Synthetic diamonds are also called cultured diamonds, manufactured diamonds, and artificial diamonds. Synthetic diamond is not the same as diamond imitation which can be made of other material such as cubic zirconia or Moissanite.

Other uses

Given the extraordinary set of physical properties diamonds exhibit, large, cheap diamonds could have a wide-ranging impact in many fields.

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The Carnegie Institute's Geophysical Laboratory can produce 10 carat (2 g) single-crystal diamonds rapidly (28 nm/s) by CVD, as well as colorless single-crystal diamonds. Growth of colorless diamonds up to 60 g (300 carats) is believed achievable using their method.{{fn|(1)}}

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The CVD produced diamonds have been targeted for their potential use in technology. For example, University of Wisconsin, Madison chemistry professor Robert Hamers has developed a photochemical methods for covalently linking DNA to the surface of polycrystalline diamond films produced through CVD. Also, the diamonds have been shown to detect redox reactions that can't ordinarily be studied and in some cases degrade redox-reactive organic contaminants in water supplies.

Related Topics:
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Robert Hamers - DNA - CVD - Redox reactions

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The diamonds also have potential uses in the semiconductor industry. This is because the diamonds can be "doped" with impurities like boron and phosphorus. Since these elements contain one more or one less electron than carbon, they turn the diamonds into n-type or p-type semiconductors. There are also studies being conducted about impregnating boron-doped CVD diamonds with deuterium yields to produce n-type semiconducting diamonds.

Related Topics:
Semiconductor - Doped - Boron - Phosphorus - Electron - Deuterium

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