Novel crystalline carbon-cage structure synthesized from laser-driven shock wave loading of graphite.
We report a novel crystalline carbon-cage structure synthesized from laser-driven shock wave loading of a graphite-copper mixture to about 14+/-2 GPa and 1000 +/- 200 K. Quite unexpectedly, it can be structurally related to an extremely compressed three-dimensional C60 polymer with random displacement of C atoms around average positions equivalent to those of distorted C60 cages. Thus, the present carbon-cage structure represents a structural crossing point between graphite interlayer bridging and C60 polymerization as the two ways of forming diamond from two-dimensional and molecular carbon.
Luo
Sheng-Nian
SN
P-24 Plasma Physics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA. sluo@lanl.gov
Tschauner
Oliver
O
Tierney
Thomas E
TE
Swift
Damian C
DC
Chipera
Steve J
SJ
Asimow
Paul D
PD