Assessment #14

Research Assessment: The Ultra Nanocrystalline Diamond

Name: ​Hebah Tanveer

Date: ​10 January 2019

Subject: ​Independent Study and Mentorship

MLA Citation:

“What Is UNCD?” ​Advanced Diamond Technologies​,

www.thindiamond.com/uncd-technology/what-is-uncd/.

Section 1: Introduction

It has been known for a long time that natural diamond has properties that could be very

useful in daily living, both for industrial and biological uses. However, making a thin film out of

the substance has proven largely impossible in all aspects until the creation of the UNCD. The

UNCD, developed by Advanced Diamond Technologies, allows diamond films to be

characterized according to different properties. The UNCD is a type of nanocrystalline diamond;

these diamonds are are not exactly diamond, they are phase-pure crystalline materials made of

microscopic diamond grains, manufactured using chemical vapor deposition processes. The

UNCD thin film diamond can be adjusted to highlight different diamond properties, and the

material can be reproduced in large quantities.

Section 2: My Reaction

I find it fascinating that the UNCD can be modified to highlight different properties. For

instance, rough diamond films are very abrasive and can be used for cutting. Roughness is one of
the diamond properties that can be modified; diamonds can be made as smooth as ​ice (i.e., with

very low coefficients of friction). Other modifiable properties include thermal and electrical

conductivity, and optical attributes (i.e., transparency).

Section 3: My Reflections

For micro electrical mechanical systems (MEMS), the UNCD allows devices to be faster,

more reliable, and more versatile. Because I am particularly interested in the use of thin diamond

films in biomedical applications, these traits are incredibly vital. For instance, a thin diamond

film could be used to cover a titanium hip implant, a mechanical system. This coating would

allow the implant to be fast moving (without the wear and tear), friction-free (more mobility to

the patient), and extremely accommodating (diamonds are 100% biocompatible). I believe that

the UNCD is an excellent choice for a biomaterial, as implant and device replacement rates

would decrease drastically without all of the corrosion common to unprotected implants.

Section 4: Current Situation

Currently, the UNCD by Advanced Diamond Technologies is the best thin diamond film

on the market. The company’s most versatile product would most probably have to be the UNCD

Aqua Series, a type of thin diamond film that has low friction and other properties modifiable.

The UNCD Aqua is very hard, wear resistant, smooth, non corrosive, and chemically stable.

Additionally, the diamond film has adhesive properties, low film stress, modifiable

hydrophobicity, and alterable electrochemical properties. All of these extensive properties are

very promising when discussing a potential widely used biomaterial.