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Read more about cutting edge research in Diamond's popular science magazine: Inside Diamond

What Does Diamond Do? Consumer Tech

A peek inside Diamond's cutting-edge research into consumer tech

Building better batteries

Pretty much all of us have struggled with an old phone or laptop that can’t hold a charge. Lithium ion batteries are commonly used in consumer tech, but over time the cathodes that help to generate a current become degraded, meaning a shorter-lived battery life. At Diamond, scientists are studying the long-term atomic processes behind cathode degradation – work that could provide the scientific understanding to banish dodgy batteries for good.

Splendid spintronics

An iPhone 6 contains 2 billion transistors: tiny devices that transfer data and allow our tech to function. If we want devices to keep getting smarter without getting bigger, we’ll need more efficient transistors. That’s why Diamond scientists are exploring ‘spintronic’ transistors. Instead of transferring information using electron charge, like regular transistors, new transistors could exploit another fundamental property of electrons: their spin, thus making our tech faster and more efficient without sacrificing on size.

Sheer magnetism

Scientists are using Diamond to try and reduce the amount of electricity we use to power our tech. Technology uses magnets to translate binary code into an action. But these magnets need power to function. So scientists are using Diamond to study the properties of these tiny magnets in the effort to develop more efficient materials that require less electrical power to read and write the binary code. This research could support the development of devices that require less charge to do their job.

Super smart cars

The classic automobile: it remains the ultimate consumer tech accessory. But whilst cars can be great for us, combusting engines haven’t been so good for the planet. Fundamental work at Diamond could help to change that. From improving the materials and engineering around electric and hydrogen-powered cars, to making existing fuel combustion more energy efficient, research at the synchrotron is driving automobile technology forwards.

Graphene 2.0

Graphene is the thinnest, lightest and strongest material known to humankind. It’s also remarkably good at conducting electricity – a characteristic that could be used to develop faster, smaller and more efficient technology. But graphene is difficult to work with, so scientists are using Diamond to study new graphene hybrids that have 3D qualities, making them stronger and easier to make and use. If we can harness these materials, we can create truly pioneering tech.

Marvellous multiferroics

Some materials respond to magnetism, some respond to electricity; multiferroics are a type of material which respond to both. This means that they can be used to develop devices which exploit both magnetism and electric charge so that they run faster and on less power. Scientists are using Diamond to investigate how the forces between atoms in multiferroic materials lead to subtle patterns of magnetism and electronic charge. By altering the material qualities of multiferroics, researchers hope to develop smaller devices with higher performance.

Want to know more about our Science Mag? Read the PDF version here

Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

Diamond Light Source Ltd
Diamond House
Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 0DE

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What Does Diamond Do? Consumer Tech

A peek inside Diamond's cutting-edge research into consumer tech

Want to know more about our Science Mag? Read the PDF version here

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What Does Diamond Do? Consumer Tech

A peek inside Diamond's cutting-edge research into consumer tech

Want to know more about our Science Mag? Read the PDF version here