(press-release.ru) - On February 11, Elena Kudryashova, President of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M. V. Lomonosov (NArFU), and Director General of AGD DIAMONDS Sergey Neruchev held a working meeting.
The university and the diamond mining company are actively cooperating within the framework of the world-class research and educational centre “Russian Arctic: new materials, technologies and research methods”. Last summer, AGD DIAMONDS proposed a project to create a joint innovative venture for the manufacture of unique single-crystal diamond plates. It is assumed that the monocrystalline diamond plates will be made from synthetic diamond single crystals at the NArFU’s laboratories using the thermal gradient method.
The partners - the university and AGD DIAMONDS - want to create a research centre on the basis of the NArFU, which will possess the state-of-the-art technologies for manufacturing single-crystal diamond plates as well as the research methods for studying them. And in future, an advanced production of single-crystal diamond plates with specified characteristics may appear in Arkhangelsk to support research and development in the field of quantum sensorics, X-ray optics and other advanced fields of the scientific and technological development.
“Experts assess the potential market for monocrystalline diamond plates as extremely promising,” noted Sergey Neruchev. “The share of the existing domestic market for the monocrystalline diamond plates is small and, according to our estimates, does not exceed 2% of the foreign market. However, the Russian market shows a significant potential and dynamics of its development today and this allows us to think about the investments in this field.“
The NArFU’s researchers have already made some efforts in the implementation of this project, first of all, a lot of research work has been done. In the near future, the first samples of the plates should be supplied to enable carrying out the research work and experiments at the laboratories of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M. V. Lomonosov.
“I believe that the preparatory work has been completed, we need to proceed to signing the Agreement and the direct implementation of what was planned, and first of all, this includes the purchase of the expensive equipment and the manufacturing site preparation,” said Elena Kudryashova.
The participants in the meeting discussed the main provisions of the future Agreement and agreed that they would work out in detail all the legal and financial aspects of their future cooperation within the framework of the project. They also discussed the options for their collaborative work on the making the manufacturing site and the survey and design work will begin in the near future.
