A new synthetic diamond has been developed that can “heal” itself thanks to a nanomaterial. This breakthrough could lead to the production of more durable industrial diamonds. Diamonds are known for their hardness, but they are also brittle and prone to breaking under high pressure. This is particularly problematic in industrial applications, such as mechanical tools like drills. Researchers at Beihang University in China have been working to produce more stable synthetic diamonds by changing their nanostructure. Their goal was to create diamonds that could close cracks at room temperature. The scientists developed “wires” made of synthetic twin crystals just a few nanometers in size. This unique nanostructure, where crystals merge symmetrically, gives materials remarkable hardness. The wires were stretched and then released using an innovative process. The researchers used an electron microscope to observe the processes taking place. During the experiment, they found that carbon atoms at the wire’s crack sites were attracted to each other. By forming new bonds, these atoms closed the cracks in the diamond. This groundbreaking discovery could lead to the production of diamonds with advanced nanostructures that are much more resistant to breaking than traditional industrial diamonds.
©: (Credit: Europäische Organisation für Kernforschung)
