The Use of Synthetic Diamonds
Written by Louise Totton
When I hear the word ‘diamonds’, the first thing that I (and probably most other people) think of is pretty, sparkly rocks that if you’re lucky, you get to wear on your finger or round your neck. Of course, as well as knowing how beautiful they are, most of us remember being taught at school that diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth, and that they are also used as precision cutting tools. I didn’t, however, know that as well as the natural diamonds that we are most familiar with, there is also a whole industry built around synthetic diamonds, which have more amazing properties and applications that I could ever have thought possible! Element Six are at the forefront of research and development for synthetic diamonds and have been synthesising diamonds for over fifty years.
Synthetic diamonds are widely referred to as a Super Material – that is a material with such extreme performance that it has the ability to transform what scientists and engineers believe is possible. Whilst we might not see these synthetic diamonds in everyday life and admire their beauty in the way we do with diamond jewellery, we have probably all at some point benefitted from their extreme performance. They are used in industries as diverse as aerospace, healthcare and defence, as well is in consumer goods such as speakers, and within timepieces.
For me, the most fantastic use of this precision material is within the healthcare sphere, where the diamonds are used in the treatment of eye cancer sufferers. Because of the high-precision nature of the material, synthetic diamonds are able to deliver a precision dose of radiation therapy, ensuring the dosage is targeted only to the effected tissue and not to the healthy tissue around it. Synthetic diamonds are also used as a precision cutting tool in surgery, where they form part of a delivery system for lasers delivering a ‘lancet of light’ thus reducing the invasiveness of some surgeries and speeding up surgical times.
Of course, as well as the wonderful healthcare applications, there are other amazing uses for this material. If we’re looking at scientific uses, the extreme properties of synthetic diamonds as a semi-conductor mean that they are in use in the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, helping scientists to unlock the secrets of the Big Bang (and by extension, possibly life itself!).
Element Six’s ongoing research means that they have been able to perfect the ability to synthesise CVD diamonds, meaning they are grown to a precise shape and thickness, and therefore providing outstanding acoustic properties. These diamonds are used in Bowers & Wilkins flagship 800 series of loudspeakers, providing the highest possible sound quality.
So there you have it – there is so much more to diamonds than you would ever think! I knew they were used for industrial precision cutting. I had absolutely no idea they were specially grown to use for high performance speakers, in treating cancer, in the aerospace industry and even more besides. It just goes to show how much research, development and precision goes into the component parts of things that we just expect to be there and work!