Initially, I was going to comment on Ernest’s earlier post titled “artificial chemistry” as I found the information about artificial diamonds really interesting. However, when I looked online for more information about how these artificial diamonds are made, I was captivated by the chemistry behind this and the possible applications for diamond manufacturing. Particularly interesting was the following website:
www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2005-10-06-man-made-diamonds_x.htm
Besides the obvious implication in precious jewelry for artificial diamond manufacturing, several other industries would benefit by making use of diamonds produced in laboratories. What many of us do not realize is how prevalent diamonds are everyday technology. Diamonds and diamond technology have allowed substantial discoveries in the computer industry, allowing more and more information to be compiled into smaller and smaller spaces. Take for instance the technology of compact discs. Not too long ago, CD’s were first introduced as an alternative to floppy disks as they allowed up to 700 megabytes of data to be stored on a relatively small, thin disk. The extraction of this data by a computer or CD player was accomplished, in part, by a sharply guided laser directed by a very small diamond(s) within the computer of the CD reader. Not too long after that, DVD’s were introduced which allowed for as much as 4.3 gigabytes, about 6 times more than CD’s. The secret behind more storage? Finer lasers guided by better cut and appropriately placed diamonds. Although the disks themselves became better at storing information, advancements in diamond and laser technology ultimately led for this increase in the amount of mass storage in our devices. Now, it almost seems ridiculous how much we can store on something the size of a stick of gum (think of our new IPODS and micro-SD cards on our phones). Our latest disk technology allows for up to 200 Gigabytes (285 times more than original CDs!) to be stored on a disk identical in size to a CD (called Blu-ray disks).
Diamond technology does not stop there. Manufactured diamonds may help decrease the costs of health care in certain medical specialties. In artificial joints, diamond-like material is often coated along the surfaces of “ball and hip” joints to reduce friction and improve mobility. Most artificial joints now utilize a special type of ceramic, second in hardness only to diamond. Several researchers have discussed how useful diamonds would be if it wasn’t for their exorbitant costs. Artificial diamonds could be very useful in such an industry and may provide help to the millions of people who are in need of dependable joint replacement surgeries.
2 comments:
I am sure artificial diamonds allowed development of many things in our life today. However, I think in the jewerly industry, this arificial diamonds will not have much effect. People value and pay high price because mined diamnonds are rare.
I really enjoyed reading your entry. I do not know a lot about technology overall and I especially had no idea that artificial diamonds would have anything to do with the development of information storage technology. When the word diamond comes to mind, I usually associate it with expensive jewelry and how many people have been misled to believe that it would last forever. Diamonds are converted to graphite in a very slow spontaneous process of about several million years at least. I remember learning about how artifical diamonds are made in organic chemistry. Extremely high pressure and heat are required in order to produce these artifical diamonds.
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