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Journalism of Courage
IIT Madras announced that will receive a grant of Rs 242 crores over a period of five years to conduct research on lab-grown diamonds (LGD). The research will be focused on driving the indigenous manufacturing of LGDs.
This development comes in the wake of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing an LGD research grant for an IIT. “Lab grown Diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential. These environment-friendly diamonds have optically and chemically the same properties as natural diamonds. To encourage indigenous production of LGD seeds and machines and to reduce import dependency, a research and development grant will be provided to one of the IITs for five years,” said Sitharaman while presenting the budget on Wednesday.
According to Ramachandra Rao at the IIT Madras Department of Physics, the India Centre for Lab Grown Diamonds (InCent-LGD) at the institute was identified for this project based on its two decades of experience in diamond research. Rao is the faculty lead for MSRC (Materials Science Research Centre), NFMTC (Nano-Functional Materials Technology Centre) and QuCenDiEM (Quantum Centre for Diamond and Emergent Materials) at IIT Madras.
According to IIT Madras, as of now, India has limited know-how of high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) technology which is used to produce and treat diamond crystals. Importing HPHT machines is an expensive affair. Components such as Chemical Vapour Deposition machines used to make diamonds including microwave generators, vacuum pumps, and sensors are imported. The IIT Madras research group has been tasked to develop these critical technologies, components, and seed substrates to make the Indian LGD industry more self-sufficient.
Rao also asserted that there is a growing demand for LGDs but not only gem-quality diamonds. They are also needed to realise a plethora of electronic applications, including magnetometry, thermal management, sensors and quantum technologies.
