Research Status and Application Prospects and of Colored Artificial Diamonds

doi:10.16553/j.cnki.issn1000-985x.2026.0005

Abstract

Abstract: Colored artificial diamonds exhibit significant application potential in high-end jewelry，precision optical devices，quantum technology and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors，owing to their vibrant and tunable colors，excellent physical and chemical properties，outstanding optical performance and controllable production costs. Through advanced synthesis techniques，these diamonds are imbued with rich colors based on a coloring mechanism fundamentally distinct from that of natural diamonds，with the core principle lying in the precise design and control of defects within the crystal lattice. Such defect engineering not only enables the diverse manifestation of diamond colors，but also expands the application scope of colored diamonds from the traditional jewelry sector to a series of cutting-edge high-tech fields. This paper provides a systematic review of the coloration principles，preparation methods and current research status of colored synthetic diamonds. It analyzes the technical pathways and doping mechanisms for producing diamonds of specific colors，examines their market development trends in jewelry，and analyses the current applications and future prospects in frontier areas such as quantum sensing，ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors and electrochemistry.

Key words: colored artificial diamond; coloring mechanism; color; impurity doping; color center; quantum science and technology

CLC Number:

JU Yifang, XIA Jiaqi, ZHANG Hong, ZHANG Shulong, HANG Yin. Research Status and Application Prospects and of Colored Artificial Diamonds[J]. Journal of Synthetic Crystals, 2026, 55(6): 817-829.

Figures/Tables 11

Fig.1 Band diagrams of yellow nitrogen-containing diamond （a） and blue boron doped diamond （b）［17］

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of preparing gradient blue diamond by placing diamond in a specially designed irradiation carrier and achieving partial irradiation in certain areas［23］

Fig.3 （a） Schematic diagram of NV color center structure；（b） NV color center fluorescence spectrum［26］

Fig.4 Absorption spectra of H3 and H4 centers in natural diamond［17］

Fig.5 （a） N-doped CVD grown diamond is irradiated with a focused TEM electron beam to form local vacancies，the NV center is formed after subsequent annealing；（b） confocal photoluminescence image of the surface of diamond TEM irradiated area［45］

Fig.6 Gemological Institute of America color reference chart for colored diamonds［51-52］

Fig.7 （a） Schematic diagram of magnetic field imaging experiment；（b） optical image of diamond nanocrystals attached to the AFM tip （viewed from the bottom）［56］

Fig.8 （a） Schematic diagram of the bipolar directional magnetic field related to the propagation of action potential from left to right；（b） customized microscopes allow for simultaneous magnetic induction and conventional imaging of specimens；（c） top view，side view and axial view of NV diamond sensor and sample［57］

Fig.9 Bell test schematic and experimental implementation［63］

Fig.10 Electrical properties of boron-doped diamond MOSFET［72］

Fig.11 Schematic diagram of porous boron doped diamond for electrocatalysis of environmental organic pollutants［80］

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