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    "headline": "Scientists Discover Unexpected Piezoelectricity in Diamond Membranes",
    "dek": "Researchers found that flexible diamond membranes generate electricity under mechanical stress, challenging a century-old scientific belief.",
    "prose": "Scientists Jixiang Jing, Bicong Wang, and Zhiqin Chu published a study in the journal Science Advances demonstrating that flexible diamond membranes can generate electricity through mechanical deformation. [^1]\n\nResearchers at the University of Hong Kong discovered that ultra-thin diamond membranes can generate electrical voltage when flexed, challenging the century-old assumption that diamonds cannot produce a piezoelectric response. [^2]\n\nThe research team discovered that polycrystalline diamond membranes approximately 5 micrometers thick exhibit optimal piezoelectric performance, surpassing several traditional piezoelectric materials. [^3]\n\nThe researchers stated that this discovery challenges the scientific consensus held for over a century that diamonds are non-piezoelectric materials due to their highly symmetrical internal structure. [^4]\n\nThe study reveals that grain boundaries in polycrystalline diamond membranes break molecular symmetry during deformation, inducing local asymmetry that generates electrical polarization. [^5]\n\nProfessors Zhiqin Chu of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Yuan Lin of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong led the study. [^6]\n\nThe team fabricated extremely thin polycrystalline diamond membranes using an edge exfoliation technique to reduce thickness and increase flexibility. [^7]\n\nWhen subjected to controlled flexions, the diamond membranes produced stable and repeatable voltage signals. [^8]",
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