Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Diamond Ceramics II Dynamic Method: Control of Nucleation and Growth for an Extremely Short Period

Abstract

Shock compaction methods for diamond powder can produce nanocrystalline diamond ceramics consisting of particles a few tens of nanometers in diameter. However, by using these methods, it is difficult to consolidate nanocrystalline diamond powder of only a few nanometers in diameter because heat localization, which is essentially important for the shock compaction process, can not be achieved. On the other hand, the SCARQ (shock compression and rapid quenching) method can produce transparent, nanocrystalline and/or amorphous diamond films 5-μm thick by controlling the nucleation and growth process in the phase transition from fullerene to diamond. The stability of the diamond phase dependent on their size is also discussed.