Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University of Rostock have developed a groundbreaking method to transform plastic into ultra-small, high-purity nanodiamonds using laser shocks. These nanodiamonds are incredibly hard, stable, and heat-resistant, making them promising for use in medicine, materials science, catalysis, and energy technologies. Unlike traditional methods that rely on explosions, this new technique is more scalable and sustainable, enabling the systematic production of nanodiamonds with a consistent size. The research initially aimed to simulate extreme conditions found in the interiors of planets like Neptune or Uranus. Scientists used high-power lasers to compress plastics, creating temperatures of several thousand degrees Celsius and pressures millions of times higher than Earth's atmosphere. These conditions are ideal for transforming carbon into diamonds. The findings of this study have been published in the journal Diamond and Related Materials. What surprised the researchers was the speed at which nanodiamonds formed under these extreme conditions. Initially, they could only briefly observe the formation of diamonds, but they have since demonstrated that these nanodiamonds can survive when transitioning back to normal pressure and temperature. The experiments took place at the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI), a high-energy laser facility located south of Prague, known for its high repetition rate. At the L4n-P3 facility, a high-power laser fires light pulses at a thin PET film, which is scanned by the laser beam. Nanodiamonds form within the resulting shock wave and are then ejected from the film like tiny projectiles, collected in a cylinder with a special ionic gel that prevents their destruction upon impact. Each laser shot produces about 10 trillion nanodiamonds of nearly identical size. However, the yield is still very low. It took around 100 shots to collect just a few hundred micrograms of material, enough to detect and analyze the diamonds using the ELMI-MV electron microscope at the University of Rostock. The researchers successfully extracted and purified the nanodiamonds, and for the first time, they were able to directly observe them using the ELMI-MV, which can resolve individual atoms. This marked a major milestone in their research. As laser technology advances, particularly in energy-efficient, high-energy lasers used in fusion research, the production of nanodiamonds is expected to become more scalable. The researchers aim to increase production to the milligram level, making the process comparable to conventional methods. Looking ahead, the team also plans to use the same laser technique to create an exotic form of carbon called BC8. This material is denser than diamond, equally hard, but less brittle. It cannot form naturally on Earth due to the extreme conditions required. The researchers hope to produce BC8 directly from plastic using high-power lasers, with an initial experiment planned for November. This development could open new possibilities in materials science and engineering.