Radiation-Induced Nucleation of Diamond from Amorphous Carbon: Effect of Hydrogen.
Electron irradiation of anthracite functionalized by dodecyl groups leads to recrystallization of the carbon network into diamonds. The diamonds range in size from ∼2 to ∼10 nm and exhibit {111} spacing of 2.1 Å. A bulk process consistent with bias-enhanced nucleation is proposed in which the dodecyl group provides hydrogen during electron irradiation. Recrystallization into diamond occurs in the hydrogenated graphitic subsurface layers. Unfunctionalized anthracite could not be converted into diamond during electron irradiation. The dependence of the phase transition pressure on cluster size was estimated, and it was found that diamond particles with a radius up to 20 nm could be formed.
†Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.|‡The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
Yanqiu
Y
Sun
†Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.|§Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.|∥Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow, Russia 142190.|⊥Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), 9 Institutsky Lane, Dolgoprudny, Russia 141700.
Alexander G
AG
Kvashnin
∥Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow, Russia 142190.|⊥Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), 9 Institutsky Lane, Dolgoprudny, Russia 141700.|#Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics RAS, 4 Kosigin Street, Moscow, Russia 119334.
Pavel B
PB
Sorokin
†Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.|§Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
Boris I
BI
Yakobson
†Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.|‡The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
W E
WE
Billups
amorphous carbon; bias-enhanced nucleation; diamonds; reductive alkylation