Plastic Water Bottles Are Being Turned Into Diamonds Using An X-Ray Laser

The notorious and indestructible PET plastic may be worth far more than previously thought as scientists develop a laser capable of converting this difficult-to-recycle material into diamonds.

Yes, that’s right—shiny diamonds may now come from your old plastic water bottles. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the University of Rostock in Germany, and the École Polytechnique in France were inspired by the planets Uranus and Neptune, whose geographical makeup allows diamonds to rain down from the sky. This is due to the high heat and pressure in the planet’s atmosphere.

The experiment was carried out at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California in 2017 where the scientists used the world’s most powerful X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), and fired it at materials that were made up of hydrocarbon materials. The laser heated the substance up to a fiery degree of 10,800°F. The shockwave then created a storm of nanodiamonds.

However, finding the right material with the right constitution of substances was hard to come by as some, such as polystyrene, had too much oxygen within them.

Eventually, the team settled on PET as it had the right balance of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen. 

The experiment was carried out again on thin films of plastic, which resulted in these plastic-turned-diamonds being created. The diamonds showed a density of up to 0.13 ounces per cubic centimeter.

The discovery could lead to an alternative method of production of tiny diamonds used for industrial purposes such as in abrasives, polishing surfaces, or even quantum sensors in the future.

What’s more, the research also gives a better insight into what Uranus and Neptune’s atmospheres are like.

[via New Atlas and Science News, cover image via Blaurock/HZDR]