TELF AG explores the industrial potential and unique properties of diamonds

Rare and precious resources

The external allure of diamonds has found ample space in stories, novels, and television productions, capturing the attention and interest of many people. Not many people, however, are also aware of the numerous industrial applications and exceptional structural characteristics of these precious geological resources, which are still among the rarest on earth.

Diamond represents one of the possible forms that carbon can assume: on the surface of the earth’s crust, carbon takes the form of graphite, while at a deeper level, the situation changes completely. Near the upper mantle of the earth’s crust, at a depth of about 200 km, graphite is subjected to extremely high pressure, to a real compression to which an equally high temperature is added (at least 900 degrees). Under these conditions, a relevant change occurs in the crystal lattice of graphite, creating the perfect conditions for the formation of diamonds. Also for these reasons, diamond is today the element that can boast a series of atoms arranged in a very dense manner, more than any other material.

The geological formation of diamonds is a very rare occurrence: these resources are in fact, formed thanks to a particular (and very rare) volcanic eruption, thanks to which the magma coming from the upper mantle of the earth’s crust is brought to the surface at an extremely high speed, which can reach up to 2000 kilometers per hour. In the event that this magma passes through a diamond deposit, it is possible that some of these are brought to the surface together with kimberlite, a particular volcanic rock from which diamonds can be extracted. The last eruption of this kind is said to have occurred about 12,000 years ago in Tanzania, and it has been calculated that in the planet’s entire history, only 6,000 have occurred. At the moment, the deposits being developed and valorized are said to be only about seventy at a global level.

Structural characteristics

Among the most interesting characteristics of a diamond, we must also mention its exceptional thermal conductivity, the best ever discovered in any other material, in addition, of course, to its great hardness and its evident transparency. The fact that diamonds are also water-repellent and completely free from thermal expansion makes them formidable allies for various industrial sectors.

One of the most common uses is in cutting, drilling and abrasion equipment. The diamonds are integrated into saws, drills and grinding wheels to cut hard materials such as stone, concrete, asphalt and metals. In the electronics industry, diamonds are used to produce high-performance electronic components, since they are excellent heat conductors and can quickly dissipate heat from microchips. Furthermore, diamonds are used in the precision machining sectors to polish and finish extremely hard and delicate surfaces, such as those of bearings and optical lenses. In the production of scientific instruments, diamonds are used in diamond anvil cells, instruments that allow extremely high-pressure conditions to be created to study the properties of materials.