Diamond crystallization from a tin–carbon system at HPHT conditions

Abstract

Diamond crystallization from the tin–carbon system has been studied at 7GPa and temperatures ranging from 1600 to 1900°C with reaction times from 1 to 20h. Both diamond growth on the seed crystals and diamond spontaneous nucleation were established, providing evidence for the catalytic ability of tin. A distinctive feature of the Sn–C system is the existence of a significant induction period preceding diamond spontaneous nucleation. Temperature and kinetics are found to be the main factors governing diamond crystallization process. The minimum parameters of diamond spontaneous nucleation are determined to be 7GPa, 1700°C and 20h. The stable form of diamond growth is octahedron and it does not depend on temperature. Synthesized diamonds contain high concentrations of nitrogen impurities up to about 1600ppm.