Lonsdaleite is faulted and twinned cubic diamond and does not exist as a discrete material

Péter Németh (), Laurence A. J. Garvie, Toshihiro Aoki, Natalia Dubrovinskaia, Leonid Dubrovinsky and Peter R. Buseck
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Péter Németh: Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Laurence A. J. Garvie: Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University
Toshihiro Aoki: LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University
Natalia Dubrovinskaia: Material Physics and Technology at Extreme Conditions, Laboratory of Crystallography, University of Bayreuth
Leonid Dubrovinsky: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
Peter R. Buseck: Arizona State University

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-5

Abstract: Abstract Lonsdaleite, also called hexagonal diamond, has been widely used as a marker of asteroidal impacts. It is thought to play a central role during the graphite-to-diamond transformation, and calculations suggest that it possesses mechanical properties superior to diamond. However, despite extensive efforts, lonsdaleite has never been produced or described as a separate, pure material. Here we show that defects in cubic diamond provide an explanation for the characteristic d-spacings and reflections reported for lonsdaleite. Ultrahigh-resolution electron microscope images demonstrate that samples displaying features attributed to lonsdaleite consist of cubic diamond dominated by extensive {113} twins and {111} stacking faults. These defects give rise to nanometre-scale structural complexity. Our findings question the existence of lonsdaleite and point to the need for re-evaluating the interpretations of many lonsdaleite-related fundamental and applied studies.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6447

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