Scientific Luminaries See Great Potential for Grown DiamondsDynamic discussion, hosted by IIa Technologies, aims to bring grown diamond industry to greater heights SINGAPORE, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore-based IIa Technologies , a global leader in diamond growing technologies, recently hosted a roundtable meeting, ' The Future of Grown Diamonds ' on grown diamonds technologies and their potential across hi-technology industries. The closed-door meeting was attended by 14 eminent scientists and professors working and researching on diamond technologies-based applications. IIa Technologies was represented by its Chief Technology Officer, Dr Devi Shanker Misra. The gathered intelligentsia from top universities across US, Belgium, Russia and Taiwan agreed that the grown diamond industry is poised for greater success. Among the topics discussed, the group deliberated on the present practice of using the terminology 'synthetic' to describe grown diamonds. It was generally agreed that the term 'synthetic' is technically and scientifically incorrect. During our discussion, with regards to the definition of the Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process and diamonds grown using the process, the overall consensus was that a more accurate descriptor would be grown diamonds as the physical and chemical properties of a grown and mined diamond are congruent, said Dr Misra, CTO of IIa Technologies. It was also felt that there was a need to improve the quality and size of grown diamonds so as to extend their usage across a range of scientific applications. Held during the 2014 Materials Research Society's (MRS) Fall Meeting and Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts, the roundtable meeting was centred on the latest scientific developments, milestones and challenges of the grown diamond world. One such important milestone was achieved by IIa Technologies in Sept 2014, when it announced the creation of large size (7.5 mm x 7.5 mm) high quality, single crystal diamond plates of unsurpassed quality after 8 years of extensive research. The breakthrough opened up unprecedented opportunities for use in highly versatile applications such as radiation dosimeter used in cancer therapy, X-Ray detectors, X-Ray dosimeters, high power electronic devices and various other sophisticated technological devices. Dr Misra said , We have a research-led approach at IIa Technologies and are currently working to develop larger diamond plates, 15mm x 15mm, twice the current dimensions, for single crystal diamonds. Our goal is to not only raise the quality of the plates but also keep it cost-effective. Larger diamond plates will enable making integrated electronic high power and high frequency circuits on diamonds, leading to potential breakthroughs in using diamonds for electronics. Following the success of this first roundtable meeting, IIa Technologies plans to host several such discussion forums in the near future with reputed scientists and professors who are interested in the grown diamond field.
近日美国辛辛那提大学的科学家做出了重大发现,他们能够自造光合作用了。他们的论文:Artificial Photosynthesis in Ranaspumin-2 Based Foam发表在 Nano Letter 上,按作者的意思,这一研究成果至少有三方面的用途,首先在节约大量耕地用水的前提条件下提高了光合效率,其次转化成的糖类可以用于制造生物燃料,最后他们的发明可以大量减少空气中的二氧化碳,真是一箭三雕啊!这可算得上人类在征服自然的旅途中取得的一次标志性的重大胜利了。 ( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl100550k ) 突然间发现身边饱和了还不少的人造玩意,事实上我们现在经常接触到的东西又有几样是纯天然的呢?前一段时间人造精子炒的沸沸扬扬,有人预言人类传宗接代的方式将发生很大的改变,或许繁衍后代问题在人们选择对象和结婚中扮演着越来越小的角色。甚至有人认为人类已经不需要性生活了,因为说不定哪天我们万能的科学家发明了能使人欲仙欲死的丸剂,想有高潮,只需服片药丸就OK了,更杜绝了性传播疾病,多么美好的未来啊。有点偏题了,我们再来说说光合作用吧。 作者认为这可是一重大突破,甚至现在已经沉浸在自己做老板的梦乡中,因为他们的这项创举只需一次投资(原料是空气和水)就能无限产出(产物是糖类),只要有眼光的有钱人都会投资资助这项研究尽快产业化的,其前途不可估量。作者甚至说Why bother with algae or biomass?,用他们的光合系统就行了,就可以解决人类的很多小问题了,如能源危机、温室效应等。你等植物就退居二线,自娱自乐或偶尔供人娱乐就好了,因为我们有了这项发明。 这就是我们人类,一个聪明绝顶的物种,大自然在我们眼里不算什么了。我们激情澎湃、雄心勃勃,向前进!向前进!! 他们光合系统高效酶的来源: Artificial Photosynthesis in Ranaspumin-2