Nanodiamonds are widely advertised in connection with their potential use

Although it may sound like an invention of a science fiction writer, nanodiamonds are completely real. Moreover, they are used to perform important work in a number of industries.

"Nano-diamonds have excellent mechanical and optical properties, large surface area and adjustable surface structures," says an article written by experts from different universities and published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. "In addition, they are not toxic, which makes them well suited for use in biomedicine."

Creation of nanodiamonds

Nanodiamonds are produced from soot formed during explosions, so they are sometimes called detonation nanodiamonds. But one explosion is not enough, the key element is carbon, the same material that the diamonds are made of. Experts agree that the pioneers of this process were Soviet scientists.

As the name implies, nanodiamonds have the smallest dimensions, and their size ranges from 4 to 10 nanometers. Keep in mind that a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, and you will understand with what small scale scientists work.

Of course, everything that scientists can do, Mother Nature can also do. The Futurity website, which collects scientific news from leading universities, reported last summer that some scientists believe nanodiamonds were created by a comet that exploded above the Earth about 13,000 years ago.

In the same vein in the research report entitled "Evidence of an extraterrestrial collision that occurred 12,900 years ago, which contributed to the extinction of the megafauna and the cooling of the late Dryas" (Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling) , Describes the presence of nanodiamonds at 32 different sites in 11 countries on three continents.

"The Clovis sites in North America are covered with a thin, disconnected layer with different peak magnetic field abundances with iridium, magnetic microspheres, carbon, soot, carbon spheres, vitreous carbon containing nanodiamonds, and fullerenes with helium [extraterrestrial origin], all of which are evidences An extraterrestrial collision and associated combustion of biomass at ≈12.9 ka, - the article says. - This layer also extends to at least 15 bays of the Carolina, which are unique elliptical depressions, oriented to the northwest along the Atlantic lowland. We assume that one or more large extraterrestrial low-density objects exploded over North America, partially destabilizing the Laurentian ice shield, and this caused a cooling [late Dryas]. "

In short, this theory suggests that nanodiamonds can be created both by man and by natural phenomena, when there is enough heat, pressure and carbon participates.

What are nanodiamonds used for?

According to the study described in Nature Nanotechnology, nanodiamonds have unlimited possible applications.

"These smallest precious stones have a wide range of potential applications in tribology (the science of friction), drug delivery, bioimaging and tissue engineering, and as a simulator of proteins and filler for nanocomposites," the article states.

In addition, AZoNano notes that nanodiamonds have been used as catalysts in scientific experiments, as a seed for the cultivation of diamond films, as additives for automotive oils, electroplating and polishing materials.

But nanodiamonds are widely advertised in connection with their potential use in the fight against cancer.

According to the report of Cardiff University in Wales, scientists use nanodiamonds to determine the processes occurring in living cells, which, in turn, can help with the delivery of medicines and the treatment of cancer.

"This new imaging opportunity opens up an impressive prospect of tracking complex delivery pathways in quantitative terms with important applications for drug delivery," said Professor Paola Borri of the School of Biosciences, who leads the study at Cardiff University . "The next step for us is to develop this method for detecting nanodiamonds even smaller than those we have demonstrated so far and demonstrating specific applications for drug delivery."

http://diamondinvestingnews.com/11992-nanodiamonds-detonation-emfutur-technologies-ray-techniques.html?pmc=E-1&MyID=vim6@bk.ru&utm_source=Resource+Investing+News&utm_campaign=421b03da8f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f83d87db0f-421b03da8f-232733721