Researchers at the University of Melbourne and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia have teamed up with the Japanese National Institute for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) to develop advanced manufacturing methods to convert low-value diamond dust into high-performance materials for quantum technologies.

The mission aimed at increasing Australia’s expertise in quantum technologies will also reduce the nation’s reliance on the global supply chain for quantum materials in the future.

The word currently in vogue might be AI or artificial intelligence, but the technology to look forward to is definitely quantum. From computing to sensing, quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionize the world we live in today. From threat detection to global navigation, sensing biomarkers to computing at unimaginable speeds, the quantum era holds the promise that our world will not look the same anymore. 

However, the major challenge toward such a reality is the operating temperature of quantum technologies. Most applications require ultra-cold temperatures of absolute zero (-273 degrees Centigrade) to operate in. Achieving them for day-to-day operations is quite impossible. This is why researchers have been looking for quantum materials that operate at room temperature, and diamonds are one of them. 

How is diamond quantum? 

At a molecular level, diamonds are made up of a lattice of carbon atoms. Each carbon atom in the diamond is bound to four other carbon atoms. Quantum-grade diamonds are a special case that contain atomic-scale defects. 

These defects do not occur naturally but are created. One commonly used defect is a Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) Center, where a carbon atom is replaced by a nitrogen atom and a neighboring carbon atom is missing, creating a vacancy. 

NV centers can be used for quantum sensing to measure magnetic fields, electric fields, temperature, and much more. However, generating NV centers in diamonds is both intensive and expensive. If diamond dust were used, it would have the same properties as the diamond, but use a low-value ingredient to achieve the same result. 

Building expertise and resilience  

While quantum technologies are the future, how they develop in a country depends on access to specialized materials and manufacturing know-how.  The Australian goal is to develop a scalable pathway to produce quantum-grade diamond from locally available materials. 

Teaming with QST, Japan, allows Australian researchers to access capabilities and test new fabrication approaches, while ensuring technological sovereignty when the quantum era dawns. At a time when global supply chains are highly unreliable, Australian researchers are working to de-risk supply chains for startups and industries in the future through domestic capacity building. 

In the short term, the researchers will focus on improving the consistency and performance of the quantum nanodiamonds and on placing NV centers as close to the surface as possible. The nanodiamonds will also need to be tested for stability and sensing capabilities, which will be further validated by CSIRO. 

If the approach can be scaled, it will help Australia turn its diamond dust into high-performance quantum materials for a futuristic tomorrow.