Researchers at Rice University have developed a way to turn carbon from a variety of sources straight into useful forms such as graphene or diamond. The technique uses a "flash" of electricity to heat the carbon, converting it into a final form that's determined by the length of the flash.Researchers at Rice University have developed a way to turn carbon from a variety of sources straight into useful forms such as graphene or diamond. The technique uses a "flash" of electricity to heat the carbon, converting it into a final form that's determined by the length of the flash.