Advanced Diamond Technologies Inc (ADT), producer of diamond films for industrial and electronic applications has won the prestigious R&D 100 Award for its UNCD seals. Run by the US R&D Magazine, the awards recognise the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.

ADT's patented, award-winning UNCD technology adds the exceptional hardness and low friction attributes of smooth, nanocrystalline diamond, to the demanding application of mechanical seals for fluid pumps. UNCD Seals are said to improve reliability, save energy, and reduce costs in fluid pumping systems.

"Much of the innovation in mechanical seals over the last several decades has been in the materials used for the seal faces. Through the efforts recognised by this award, diamond is now available as a face material for seals. When it comes to durability and low friction, it doesn't get better than diamond," said ADT's president Neil Kane.

The UNCD seals resulted from a collaboration among ADT, John Crane Inc and Argonne National Laboratory. ADT developed a commercial manufacturing platform for producing UNCD seals in volume with exceptional reproducibility and quality. John Crane, the world's largest manufacturer of seals, contributed significant engineering expertise and performed exhaustive qualification tests. Argonne provided materials characterisation and testing through the support of the US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Industrial Technologies Programme.

This is the second R&D 100 win for the UNCD technology. The first, given in 2003, was for UNCD diamond film suitable for mass production of a wide range of diamond-based microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, biosensors, and microelectronic circuits.