According to foreign media reports, it takes billions of years for traditional diamonds to form in the depths of the earth. Extreme pressure and temperature provide suitable conditions for carbon crystallization. However, scientists are now studying more convenient ways to forge these gems. Recently, an international research team successfully shortened this process to just a few minutes, demonstrating a new technology that can not only be rapidly molded, but also molded at room temperature.

Although the idea of making diamonds in a few minutes in the laboratory is attractive to jewelers, rappers or those who want to solve problems, it is not the ultimate goal of this kind of research. The artificial version of this tough material can be used as a new tool for cutting superhard materials, a new protective coating or other industrial equipment.

It is reported that this latest breakthrough was led by scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) and RMIT University, who used a device called diamond anvil. Researchers use this equipment to generate the extreme pressure needed to produce superhard materials. The research team put the pressure equivalent to 640 African elephants on the top of a ballet shoe, which triggered an unexpected reaction of carbon atoms in the equipment.

"The turning point of the story is how we exert pressure," said Judy Bradby, a professor at Australian National University. "In addition to very high pressure, we also let carbon experience something called' shear'-such as twisting force or sliding force. We believe that this allows carbon atoms to move to the appropriate position, forming hexagonal meteorite diamonds and conventional diamonds. "

Among them, regular diamonds may be found on the engagement ring, while hexagonal meteorite diamonds are rare and can only be found at the meteorite impact site. Using an advanced electron microscope, the research team examined the samples in detail and found that these materials formed a strip similar to a diamond "river".

Professor Doug mcculloch of the Royal Institute of Technology said: "Our photos show that under the new method developed by our inter-agency team, conventional diamonds are only formed in the middle of these hexagonal meteorite diamonds. It is amazing to see these small' rivers' composed of hexagonal meteorite diamonds and ordinary diamonds for the first time, which really helps us understand how they are formed. "

The research team hopes that this technology will enable them to produce a large number of synthetic diamonds, especially hexagonal meteorite diamonds. It is predicted that the hardness of hexagonal meteorite diamonds is 58% higher than that of ordinary diamonds.

"Hexagonal meteorite diamonds have the potential to cut supersolid materials in mines," Bradby said.

Related research reports have been published in small books.