Nanosecond formation of diamond and lonsdaleite by shock compression of graphite

D. Kraus (), A. Ravasio, M. Gauthier, D. O. Gericke, J. Vorberger, S. Frydrych, J. Helfrich, L. B. Fletcher, G. Schaumann, B. Nagler, B. Barbrel, B. Bachmann, E. J. Gamboa, S. Göde, E. Granados, G. Gregori, H. J. Lee, P. Neumayer, W. Schumaker, T. Döppner, R. W. Falcone, S. H. Glenzer and M. Roth
Additional contact information
D. Kraus: University of California
A. Ravasio: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
M. Gauthier: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
D. O. Gericke: Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, University of Warwick
J. Vorberger: Max-Planck-Institut für Physik Komplexer Systeme
S. Frydrych: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt
J. Helfrich: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt
L. B. Fletcher: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
G. Schaumann: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt
B. Nagler: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
B. Barbrel: University of California
B. Bachmann: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
E. J. Gamboa: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
S. Göde: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
E. Granados: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
G. Gregori: University of Oxford
H. J. Lee: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
P. Neumayer: GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung
W. Schumaker: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
T. Döppner: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
R. W. Falcone: University of California
S. H. Glenzer: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
M. Roth: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The shock-induced transition from graphite to diamond has been of great scientific and technological interest since the discovery of microscopic diamonds in remnants of explosively driven graphite. Furthermore, shock synthesis of diamond and lonsdaleite, a speculative hexagonal carbon polymorph with unique hardness, is expected to happen during violent meteor impacts. Here, we show unprecedented in situ X-ray diffraction measurements of diamond formation on nanosecond timescales by shock compression of pyrolytic as well as polycrystalline graphite to pressures from 19 GPa up to 228 GPa. While we observe the transition to diamond starting at 50 GPa for both pyrolytic and polycrystalline graphite, we also record the direct formation of lonsdaleite above 170 GPa for pyrolytic samples only. Our experiment provides new insights into the processes of the shock-induced transition from graphite to diamond and uniquely resolves the dynamics that explain the main natural occurrence of the lonsdaleite crystal structure being close to meteor impact sites.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10970

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