In a new study published in the journal NatureSouth Korean scientists have shown that diamonds can be grown in just 150 minutes using a liquid metal alloy. Traditionally, natural diamonds take billions of years to form under extreme pressure and temperature. Although current diamond synthesis methods require significantly less time, they still require high pressure and long processing times.

This new approach uses a unique combination of liquid metals such as gallium, iron, nickel and silicon to form diamonds under atmospheric pressure and at temperatures of approximately 1025°C. The process begins by heating the metal mixture in a special vacuum system, then the liquid metal is rapidly cooled and mixed with methane and hydrogen.

Conditions in the system favor the distribution of carbon from methane in the molten metal, which initiates diamond formation. After 15 minutes, the first diamond crystals appear, and a continuous diamond film forms over the next 150 minutes.

This technology could fundamentally transform the production of synthetic diamonds, which are used in a wide range of industrial processes, electronics, and even quantum computing. Scientists believe that further modifications and optimizations to the process will significantly increase the possibilities of producing diamonds on larger surfaces, even shortening the time it takes to create diamonds. Source