Scientists discover diamonds can generate electricity
Scientists at the University of Hong Kong have demonstrated that ultrathin, flexible diamond membranes can generate electricity when flexed. This finding overturns a century-old assumption that diamond is a non-piezoelectric material.
Why it matters
This discovery could revolutionize microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) by allowing the use of diamond's superior physical properties for energy harvesting and sensing applications.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have discovered that ultrathin, highly flexible diamond membranes can produce a measurable piezoelectric response, challenging a scientific assumption that has stood for more than a century.
The work was led by Professor Zhiqin Chu, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor Yuan Lin, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Since the early 1900s, diamond has generally been classified as a non-piezoelectric material, meaning it was not expected to generate an electrical voltage when mechanically deformed.
That limitation has shaped how diamond has been used in engineering. Despite its exceptional hardness, strength, chemical stability, high acoustic velocity, thermal conductivity, dielectric breakdown strength and ultrawide bandgap, diamond has typically served only as a structural support for other piezoelectric materials in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
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