Diamonds In Industry

Everyone knows diamonds are the most expensive gemstones in the market. This naturally occurring purest form of carbon robs the hearts of millions of women. And when the hearts of millions of women are robbed, millions of men start sweating. That's right. A wise (and a rich) man knows that the key to a woman's heart is diamonds. If all else fails, just splurge your cash on a big enough diamond and watch as your lady love melts like chocolate on a hot pan. It is not a lasting solution, but it should do the trick for a while (until she wants more diamonds). While I do love and respect women a lot, sometimes in the aspect of diamonds alone, I find that a constant recharge in the form of new diamonds is necessary to keep them happy (help me!).

A diamond is pure carbon. That's it. But if you are wondering why one of the most common elements on earth has such a high value, it is because while carbon is common, carbon in the form of diamond is extremely rare. Immense pressures and high temperatures are required to form a diamond and such events take place very deep inside the earth. This unique process makes diamonds one of the hardest substances on the planet. The color of diamonds depends upon the chemical contamination and crystallographic defects present at the time of its formation. A pure diamond which is not contaminated by any impurities is crystal clear and has a high refractive index. Some properties:

• Due to its lattice arrangement of carbon atoms, diamonds are extremely tough.
• Pure, uncontaminated diamonds have very high refractory index, which makes them sparkle.
• Diamonds do not conduct electricity. (Please don't even think about diamond safety shoes)
• Diamonds are good conductors of heat. (I know what you are thinking but no, there are no manufacturers of diamond bottomed cooking vessels)

Let us now see the various uses of diamonds in Industry and manufacturing.

These speakers are also known as tweeters. They can generate extremely high audio frequencies. While woofers generate low frequency sounds and are quite big, tweeters concentrate on high frequency audio and can be quite small. A good tweeter requires high stiffness and damping. The stiffness of the diamond and its toughness reduces sound distortion and improves audio resolution. However, since the diamonds need not be gem quality, typically synthetic diamonds are used in place of natural ones. Even the use of synthetic diamonds is no guarantee of lower cost. These tweeters can cost several thousands of dollars a pair.

Diamonds are also used for coating films or ultra violet optical windows which are necessary for next generation lithography tools. Lithography or semiconductor lithography is the process applied on semiconductor silicon to develop integrated circuits. And the diamonds used here are again synthetic diamonds. The process is very expensive and the layer is extremely thin and not visible to the eye. Diamonds are used to coat the surfaces of IR or infra red windows. IR windows are used to separate environments of differing pressures or temperatures while allowing infra red light to pass through. I just read the above paragraph and I didn't understand one freaking bit. Don't worry it is simply this

• Diamonds are used in making computer chips
• They are used to make IR windows for infra red science stuff.(I have no idea for what)

I know it sounds like some Japanese Manga cartoon name, but believe me that's not it. Because diamonds are so tough, they are embedded in the blades of saws and other cutting tools. Interestingly diamond blades are intended to grind rather than cut any material. These blades are used to cut stones, concrete, ceramic, glass and are also used in construction. Compared to normal blades, diamond blades last longer and are more wear resistant. However, they do eventually wear down with continuous use. Now before you go hunting for diamond saws in your house or shops, please note that either synthetic or black diamonds are embedded in the blade and not high quality gem diamonds.

As mentioned in the properties above, diamonds have amazingly good heat conductivity, in fact better than silver. Therefore, diamond powder is used as a coolant or heat sink in electronic devices which generate heat like computer processors and GPUs. It typically comes as a thick paste in a tube which is smeared over the surface of the computer processor. The paste then solidifies and absorbs heat from the processor, dispersing it with air cooling. It is a passive form of heat dissipation. This is a more cost effective and simple way of cooling your computer processor rather than installing liquid cooling systems which can be quite expensive. Computer gamers who need to squeeze out every ounce of their GPU's performance often go for such thermal compounds.

That's right ladies, you read it right. Certain very expensive spray tan and body lotion products contain diamond dust which is credited with providing a unique glow to the skin. Apparently the diamond particles get deposited on the skin and reflect light flashes during photo shoot sessions, making your skin shine and sparkle. Kim Kardashian recently hit the news for undergoing such a beauty treatment in preparation for her wedding. In fact a single treatment of diamond tanning is so expensive that most salons don't even feature it on their product list. They are offered only on demand especially to VIPs. Diamond body wash and skin lotions on the other hand are easily available and cost comparatively less.

A whole diamond if swallowed by a person would cause no harm. In fact, it is a frequent practice followed by diamond smugglers across the globe. But if a diamond is crushed and then swallowed, the jagged pieces of the crystal get deposited in the intestinal track and abrades the delicate walls of the organs. Being sharper and tougher than glass or blades, diamond dust slices through the stomach and intestinal lining, leading to an excruciatingly painful death over a period of few weeks or months. There have been many instances in history, where prominent people were assassinated using diamond dust, especially during medieval times.

Ball bearings are used all the time in moving parts of machinery to reduce friction and to facilitate free movement. Poly-crystalline diamonds (synthetic diamonds) are used in bearings due to their high strength and toughness. These bearings are used under high pressure and harsh environments which involve a lot of abrasion. Use of these bearings increase the life of machines and reduce their maintenance time. Where normal bearings fail to deliver, these diamond bearings succeed. Skateboard speedsters usually prefer to have these on their skateboards. It gives them a speed boost and are super wear resistant.

Study of specimens under an electron microscope requires extremely thin slices which normal steel scalpels fail to deliver. Therefore, diamond scalpels have been developed which are capable of cutting extremely thin slices of a soft specimen (other than bones) without losing the sharpness of the edge easily. These scalpels are also used in eye surgery where the membranes are extremely thin and delicate which require precision cuts. However, only gem quality diamonds are suitable for scalpels because of their non defective crystal structures. This makes them quite expensive.

Well guys, now that you know about how important diamonds are for industry, I think you should show this to your lady love. Maybe it will convince them to stop buying diamond jewellery or maybe it will earn you a slap on the face. Take care until next time!