Directions: Read the following article carefully then answer the multiple-choice items.

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Name ________________________ Date ____________

ELA Core _____ AoW #17a

Diamonds: Bling for a Ring, but Armor for a Smartphone Screen? By Scientific American, adapted by Newsela staff April 13, 2017 1060L Diamonds have been immortalized on engagement rings and in pop songs by Rihanna and Kanye West. Now, we may treasure these precious stones for one more thing: protecting our smartphones. Smartphone displays regularly get chips and spider web-like cracks. They are in constant danger of breaking when we drop them or overuse them. Could diamonds — known for their strength as a stone — help protect our fragile screens? Maybe. If so, these nuggets won’t be mined from deep in Earth’s crust — they would be grown in the lab. Company Will Use Man-Made Gems AKHAN Semiconductor is a company developing ways to use man-made diamonds to improve electronics. By the end of the year, AKHAN plans to begin making glass smartphone screens coated with a thin layer of diamond. The company says it will be more scratch-resistant and less prone to shattering. The company will not say, however, which smartphone makers might use its product, called Miraj Diamond Glass. It also didn’t say how it would keep the cost of those screens affordable. Whether or not AKHAN’s plan works, the idea of using diamonds to solve the cracked screen problem has raised questions. Motorola, a phone company, did a recent study and found that nearly a third of U.S. smartphone users have handsets with cracked screens. Many people continue to use those screens, even after cutting a finger on them. Diamonds Can Resist Scratches Right now, a material called Corning Gorilla Glass is used to make most smartphone displays. Sapphire crystal is used to cover Apple Watch displays. Diamond is the hardest material found in nature, and synthetic, lab-created versions are likely to be more resistant to scratching than materials that are being used now.

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This is a collection of 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04 carat solitaire diamonds weighing in total 5.36 carats. Photo by: Swamibu/Wikimedia Commons

Though it can resist scratches and heat, however, diamond is actually a very brittle material. If you put enough stress on a diamond it will break and split along its weakest parts, says Jim Butler. He spent 38 years as a researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory. A diamond coating also wouldn’t necessarily protect the glass screen underneath it from a really bad drop. At that point, you’re still counting on the strength of the glass or whatever material is used to make the original display screen, says Anthony Schiavo. He is an analyst with technology research company Lux Research. Screens coated with artificial diamonds are expected to be more shatterproof than existing smartphone screens. However, their actual strength depends entirely on the way they are made. Blast Of Heat Creates A Film The process is known as chemical vapor deposition. It involves dusting a substrate — such as a piece of glass — with a layer of fine diamond particulates. This layer is made up of hydrogen-carbon bonds. The diamond-coated glass is then put into a chamber with a combination of hydrogen and a carbon-rich gas, such as methane. The next step is to blast the hydrocarbon gas mixture with heat. When this happens, the carbon-hydrogen bonds inside the diamond particles begin to break. After this, a diamond film begins to form. In the process, many things can change. Any slight change in temperature, for example, can change how the diamond ends up. To make a more shatterproof diamond film, scientists would have to find a way to control these changes as much as possible. As the diamond fragments come together, carbon and hydrogen are very active inside. They constantly are being created, or broken up. This creates lots of energy, which in turn causes heat. To make a diamond, the ideal temperature tends to be above 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 Fahrenheit), and as high as 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit), Butler says. A diamond is very good at redistributing heat, so it stands up just fine in this very hot environment. Layers May React Differently Unfortunately, the glass underneath the diamond film doesn’t do so well. It begins to melt at about 550 degrees Celsius (1,022 degrees Fahrenheit). AKHAN founder Adam Khan claims his company can make an artificial diamond film at temperatures of 350 degrees C (662 Fahrenheit) or lower, but Butler is not so sure. He points out that the glass and its diamond coating will have different reactions, even at those temperatures. “If you’re going to put a diamond on something and that something is going to go through temperature cycles, there’s going to be a stress between the coating and the substrate,” he says. Such stresses are enough to crack quartz, a material that is much harder than glass. That challenge can be solved, he adds, but it’s not a simple problem. Will diamonds end up being a smartphone user’s best friend — or just another way for device makers to charge more money? AKHAN’s ability to solve such problems could determine the future. "Diamonds: Bling for a Ring, but Armor for a Smartphone Screen?" Newsela | Diamonds: Bling for a Ring, but Armor for a Smartphone Screen? Newsela, 13 Apr. 2017. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

Use the information found in the article to identify the best response for each item. RI.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical meanings; analyze the

impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

1. Read the selection from the section "Diamonds Can Resist Scratches."

Though it can resist scratches and heat, however, diamond is actually a very brittle material. If you put enough stress on a diamond it will break and split along its weakest parts, says Jim Butler.

Which two words could BEST replace "brittle" and "stress" in this selection? A. tense; strain B. delicate; pressure C. crumbly; heat D. flawed; friction

2. Read the first sentence of the article.

Diamonds have been immortalized on engagement rings and in pop songs by Rihanna and Kanye West.

Which of the following words, if it replaced "immortalized" in this sentence, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence? A. commemorated B. eternalized C. preserved D. coveted

RI.5 Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing

and refining a key concept

3. Why does the author include the section "Blast Of Heat Creates A Film"? A. to describe the sequence of steps necessary to create a diamond film B. to provide a comparison of simulated and naturally mined diamonds C. to question whether a diamond coating would actually protect a smartphone D. to detail the causes that led AKHAN to make a diamond smartphone screen

4. Why does the author include information about the number of people who use smartphones with

cracked screens? A. to highlight a growing problem with the composition of smartphone screens B. to provide context about the topic to which the reader could probably relate C. to explain why AKHAN chose to use diamonds to resolve this issue D. to describe the dangers of using smartphones with cracked screens