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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y 2 0 1 5
8 OMG!
OUTRAGEOUSMATERIALSGOODNESS
WORLD’S LARGEST
LAB-GROWN DIAMOND
SHINES BRIGHT
Pure Grown Diamonds, New York,
announced a scientific breakthrough
with what is said to be the world’s
largest laboratory-cultivated white di-
amonds, which are indistinguishable
from mined diamonds, even under
a microscope, yet cost 30% to 40%
less. The first and largest lab-grown
diamond is 3.04 carats. These lab-
cultivated diamonds have the identical
chemical composition, physical prop-
erties, and optical features of earth-
mined diamonds, according to the In-
ternational Gemological Institute. They
also mature within six to 10 weeks, are
eco-friendly, and conflict-free.
The process begins with a di-
amond seed placed inside a low-
pressure microwave chamber. Hydro-
gen and methane gases are introduced
while a microwave generator pumps
energy into the chamber, igniting a
glowing plasma ball. Carbon molecules
then rain on the seed and crystalliza-
tion begins. .
USING PASTA TO EXPLAIN
RING-SHAPED POLYMERS
Two physicists from the Univer-
sity of Warwick, UK, took to the kitch-
en to explain the complexity of what
they say is one of the final puzzles to
be solved in polymer physics. As a way
of demonstrating the complicated
shapes that ring-shaped polymers can
adopt, researchers created a new type
of ring-shaped pasta, dubbed anelloni
(“anello” is Italian for “ring”). With just
two eggs and 200 g of plain flour, Da-
vide Michieletto and Matthew Turner
created large loops of pasta that, when
cooked and thrown together in a bowl,
get very tangled up, in much the same
way that ring-shaped polymers become
massively intertwined with each other.
When faced with a bowl of tradi-
tional spaghetti, it is easy to suck or pull
a single strand out. Yet it is much harder
to extract a single piece of pasta from a
pile of anelloni. “The thing about ring-
shaped polymers is that they’re poorly
understood—in fact, they’re one of the
last big mysteries in polymer physics,”
say researchers. While the new kind of
pasta is just for fun, the real work in-
volves carrying out computer simula-
tions of ring-shaped polymers, which
show that if molecules are long enough,
they are likely to get so tangled up that
that they would appear frozen in place.
For more information: Davide Michielet-
to, ,
MAGNETIC GEAR REDUCER
MAGDRIVE, a European research
project coordinated by Professor José
Luis Pérez Díaz, from the UC3M Insti-
tuto Pedro San Juan de Lastanosa,
Spain, aims to develop a magnetic gear
reducer—a mechanism that transforms
speed from an input to an output axle,
such as a bicycle chain. Unlike conven-
tional gear reducers, the magnetic de-
sign’s transmission is produced without
contact between pieces.
“The operating life of these devic-
es can be much longer than the life of
a conventional gear reducer with teeth,
and can even work in cryogenic tem-
peratures,” says Efrén Díez Jiménez of
UC3M. “If the axle is blocked, parts sim-
ply slide among themselves, but noth-
ing breaks.” In addition, it is quieter,
vibration is reduced, and through-wall
transmission is achievable. Although
the main goal of the MAGDRIVE project
is to build a prototype that can be used
in the extreme conditions of space, an-
other version that can be used at room
temperature was also developed.
Are you working with or have you
discovered a material or its properties
that exhibit OMG - Outrageous
Materials Goodness?
Send your submissions to
Julie Lucko at
.
A bowl of anelloni, consisting of ring-
shaped spaghetti made from linguine,
which researchers used to explain a
mystery in polymer physics.
Researchers at UC3M are developing a
new transmission mechanismwith no
touching parts, based on magnetic forces
that prevent friction and wear, eliminat-
ing the need for lubrication.
The first and largest lab-grown
diamond is 3.04 carats, shown in
comparison to a 1.0-carat stone.