There might be diamonds inside your cell phones in the near future. At first glance, this idea may sound unrealistic but the concept behind it is actually very logical.
You see, every time you send a text or take a photo, tiny electrical signals travel around inside in your phone. Each of these trillion “trips” release a certain amount of heat. Therefore, to prevent your phone from literally melting, scientists and engineers have to install thermal conductors to transfer heat away. Common choices include copper, aluminum and graphite, depending on each brand’s offers. However, the best material to this day is actually diamond.
Thanks to its tightly bound structure, diamonds conduct heat more effectively than other alternatives, making it an ideal candidate for cooling electronics. The real issues, though, are cost and purity. Since impurities found in natural diamonds can act as barriers in between layers of atoms and reduce the overall efficiency, lab-grown “super pure” diamonds are considered the best option. This material is; fortunately, getting cheaper at a rapid pace. If it really happens, “diamonds” would not take the form of small, shiny rocks but rather thin, tiny, planes right beneath your fingertips.
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Credits: CleoAbram
Editor: Ngoc Anh Bui
Illustrator: Phuong Trinh Nhu