![Korean Scientists Develop Diamonds in 15 minutes](https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/fit-in/1280x960/filters:format(webp)/popdiaries/media/media_files/GaF7MtdMogkbrflMp1EX.png)
Korean Scientists have developed a revolutionary technique to synthesize diamonds at normal atmospheric pressure without a starter gem, potentially making lab-grown diamonds easier and faster to produce in just 15 minutes. The formation of diamonds under natural conditions is quite a process. It takes the huge pressure of several gigapascals and the scorching heat of 1500 degrees Celsius over thousands of years to turn carbon atoms into diamonds. That's why they are mostly found buried hundreds of miles below the Earth's surface.
As of today, 99 per cent of synthetic diamonds are made using the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method. In this process, extreme conditions are used to convert carbon atoms into a diamond around a small seed or a started diamond.
Using an innovative method, researchers have managed to create diamonds at ambient temperatures and pressures in just 15 minutes. This advancement could simplify the production of lab-grown diamonds significantly. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, the researchers believe a temperature drop drives carbon from the methane to the crucible's center, where it crystallizes into diamond. Silicon appears to act as a crucial seed in this process.