Japanese Researchers Create Diamonds Without Heat or Pressure in Groundbreaking Discovery

Discover how scientists are creating flawless diamonds without heat or pressure. A new method uses electron beams to turn adamantane into nanodiamonds at room temperature.

Scientists have found a new method to create diamonds without using heat or pressure. Normally, diamonds are formed deep inside the Earth under intense heat and pressure or are made in labs by mimicking these conditions with high-energy techniques. However, a team of researchers from Japan has developed a completely different approach to making diamonds, one that does not require extreme heat or pressure.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo discovered that by exposing a specific carbon-based material to a stream of electrons, they could transform it directly into diamond. This process takes place at room temperature and under low pressure, which could revolutionize the way synthetic diamonds are produced. What's more, this method also appears to protect sensitive organic materials, which could have significant advantages for research in biology and materials science. The research was published in the journal Science.

A New Way to Create Diamonds

Traditionally, artificial diamonds are made using two main methods. One involves high temperatures and pressures to crystallize carbon into diamond, while the other, known as chemical vapour deposition, builds diamond layer by layer from gas. Both methods are energy-intensive and can be hard to control.

Professor Eiichi Nakamura and his team took a different path. They used electron irradiation to convert a compound called adamantane (C₁₀H₁₆) into diamond. Adamantane is a cage-shaped molecule consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen. The challenge was to remove the hydrogen atoms and link the remaining carbon atoms in a precise pattern to form diamond.

Observing Diamond Formation in Real Time

To test their idea, Nakamura's team placed small adamantane crystals inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a powerful tool that can image materials at the atomic level. They then exposed the samples to an electron beam in a vacuum, maintaining a temperature between -170°C and room temperature.

Instead of being destroyed, the material changed in a remarkable way. The researchers were able to watch the adamantane molecules rearrange and connect into perfectly ordered nanodiamonds, tiny diamond crystals just a billionth of a meter wide.

The transformation occurred within seconds. Under the microscope, chains of adamantane molecules gradually turned into smooth, spherical nanodiamonds, releasing hydrogen gas as they formed.

This was the first time scientists had ever directly observed diamond formation at the atomic level. It also proved that under the right conditions, electron beams can trigger stable chemical reactions rather than just damaging samples.

Flawless Diamonds Without Heat or Pressure

After repeated experiments, the team found that the resulting nanodiamonds were almost perfect, with a regular cubic crystal structure and diameters up to 10 nanometres. Other hydrocarbons did not produce the same results. This confirmed that adamantane’s unique shape was key to this success.

This discovery opens up exciting new possibilities. Electron beams could now be used to manipulate materials at a molecular level with great precision. The technique could improve the production of nanomaterials for quantum computers, advanced sensors, and medical imaging. It might even help explain how diamonds form naturally in extreme environments, such as meteorites or rocks exposed to underground radiation.

A Dream Realized in Two Decades

For Professor Nakamura, this breakthrough is the result of nearly 20 years of research. Since 2004, he has been exploring ways to use electron beams not as destructive tools but as precise instruments to control chemistry at the atomic level.

His work now shows that, with the right starting material, electrons can help build something as strong and beautiful as diamond; all without heat, pressure, or harsh conditions. This gentle approach to creating diamonds could change how scientists think about electron microscopy and open new paths for studying and designing materials.