Synthesis of paracrystalline diamond

Hu Tang, Xiaohong Yuan, Yong Cheng, Hongzhan Fei, Fuyang Liu, Tao Liang, Zhidan Zeng, Takayuki Ishii, Ming-Sheng Wang, Tomoo Katsura, Howard Sheng () and Huiyang Gou ()
Additional contact information
Hu Tang: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Xiaohong Yuan: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Yong Cheng: Xiamen University
Hongzhan Fei: University of Bayreuth
Fuyang Liu: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Tao Liang: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Zhidan Zeng: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Takayuki Ishii: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Ming-Sheng Wang: Xiamen University
Tomoo Katsura: University of Bayreuth
Howard Sheng: George Mason University
Huiyang Gou: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research

Nature, 2021, vol. 599, issue 7886, 605-610

Abstract: Abstract Solids in nature can be generally classified into crystalline and non-crystalline states1–7, depending on whether long-range lattice periodicity is present in the material. The differentiation of the two states, however, could face fundamental challenges if the degree of long-range order in crystals is significantly reduced. Here we report a paracrystalline state of diamond that is distinct from either crystalline or amorphous diamond8–10. The paracrystalline diamond reported in this work, consisting of sub-nanometre-sized paracrystallites that possess a well-defined crystalline medium-range order up to a few atomic shells4,5,11–13, was synthesized in high-pressure high-temperature conditions (for example, 30 GPa and 1,600 K) employing face-centred cubic C60 as a precursor. The structural characteristics of the paracrystalline diamond were identified through a combination of X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission microscopy and advanced molecular dynamics simulation. The formation of paracrystalline diamond is a result of densely distributed nucleation sites developed in compressed C60 as well as pronounced second-nearest-neighbour short-range order in amorphous diamond due to strong sp3 bonding. The discovery of paracrystalline diamond adds an unusual diamond form to the enriched carbon family14–16, which exhibits distinguishing physical properties and can be furthered exploited to develop new materials. Furthermore, this work reveals the missing link in the length scale between amorphous and crystalline states across the structural landscape, having profound implications for recognizing complex structures arising from amorphous materials.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04122-w

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