Hands-on at this exhibit

• Compare the heat conduction of diamond and other materials as you cut through ice.
• Use a laser-based diamond magnetometer to measure the Earth’s magnetic field.
• See how diamond electrodes can be used to split water.

Find out more

Imagine a diamond. What do you see? Many people will think of a glittering gemstone on jewellery. But the amazing properties of diamond make it ideal for a host of cutting edge applications in electronics, computing, sensing, measuring and more. Our exhibit will highlight the extreme properties and enormous potential of this material, revealing diamond as so much more than just a gemstone.

The unique arrangement of carbon atoms in diamond gives it many extreme characteristics that can be used in science and engineering. For example, it is a fantastic conductor of heat and can dramatically improve cooling in electronic circuits for better efficiency, reliability and higher power operation. Scientific advances have made it possible to make high quality diamond on a large scale in specialist labs. Synthetic diamonds can be tailor-made to have particular properties, such as black diamonds, which conduct electricity and be used as electrodes to remove environmental pollutants from water.

Find out more and test your diamond knowledge with a quiz at royalsocdiamond.co.uk.

Presented by: University of Warwick, Diamond Science and Technology, UK Collaborative Doctoral Training Programme, Aberystwyth University.