On the Possibility of Bulk Large Diamond Single Crystal Synthesis with Hydrothermal Process

  • Andrzej M. Szymanski (Faculty of Chemistry of the Warsaw University of Technology)
  • Published : 1997.06.01

Abstract

Analysis of geological data, relating to occurrence and formation of diamonds as well as host rocks, inclined author to have different outlook on the diamond genesis and to establish a proposition on their formation at pneumatolytic-hydrothermal conditions near superficial Earth zones. Based on that theoretical foundations and experimental works, the first low-pressure and low-temperature hydrothermal diamond synthesis from water solution in pressure autoclave was executed. As a result, the natural diamond seed crystal grew bigger ad coupling of the synthetic diamond single-crystalline grains were obtained. SEM documentation proofs that parallely paragenetic crystallization of quartz and diamond, and nucleation of new octahedral diamond crystals brush take place on the seed crystal surface. Forecast of none times growth of diamond industrial application at 2000 and seventeen times at 2010 with reference to 1995, needs technology of large and pure single-crystals diamond synthesis. Growth of the stable and destressed diamond single-crystals in the pseudo-metastable diamond plot, may be realized with processes going through the long time and with participation of free radicals catalysts admixtures only. Sol-gel colloidal processes are an example of environment which form stable crystals in thermodynamically unstable conditions through a long time. Paper critically discusses a whole way of studies on the diamond synthesis, from high-pressure and high-temperature processes through chemical vapour deposition up to hydrothermal experiments.

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