Nanodiamonds tagged posts

Research team uses laser flashes to simulate the interior of ice planets – and spurs a new process for producing miniscule diamonds...

Geoscientists have found the largest extraterrestrial diamonds ever discovered – a few tenths of a millimeter in size nevertheless – inside meteorites. Together with an international team of researchers, they have now been able to prove that these diamonds formed in the early period of our solar system when minor planets collided together or with large asteroids. These new data disprove the theory that they originated deep inside planets – similar to diamonds formed on Earth – at least the size of Mercury.

It is estimated that over 10 million asteroids are circling the Earth in the asteroid belt...

Experiments at Rice University showed nanodiamonds and other forms of carbon were created when carbon nanotube pellets were fired at a target at hypervelocity. Credit: Illustration by Pedro Alves da Silva Autreto

Superman can famously make a diamond by crushing a chunk of coal in his hand, but Rice University scientists are employing a different tactic. They are making nanodiamonds and other forms of carbon by smashing nanotubes against a target at high speeds. The process of making them will enrich the knowledge of engineers who design structures that resist damage from high-speed impacts. The diamonds are the result of a detailed study on the ballistic fracturing of carbon nanotubes at different velocities...

A 3-D image of a tooth filled with nanodiamond-enhanced gutta percha, and an individual gutta percha point. Credit: American Chemical Society/Dong-Keun Lee

Tiny particles strenthen the compound used to fill teeth, ward off infection. Nanodiamonds may help patients that have had the dreaded root canal. Dental researchers have developed a nanodiamond-reinforced version of gutta percha, the compound that is used to fill void spaces in dental root canals to prevent infection that can lead to tooth loss. Tested in patient-extracted teeth, the nanodiamond-embedded polymer was substantially stronger than conventional gutta percha...