Abstract
Popigai is the world largest crater produced by an impact event. Abundant graphite in the target rocks underwent martensitic transformation into a mixture of high-pressure phases (an aggregate of nanometer cubic diamond and hexagonal lonsdaleite crystals), and some amount of graphite survived as a residual phase. They are of two types: (i) diamonds extracted from tagamites as chips of grains crushed during processing; (ii) yakutites in placers inside and around the crater, which formed at the impact epicenter and dispersed during the event. The impact diamonds possess exceptional abrasive strength, 1.8 to 2.4 times greater than in synthetic diamonds. The outstanding wear resistance, a large specific surface area and a thermal stability (200–250 °C greater than in synthetic diamonds) are favorable for main technological uses. With these properties, impact diamonds are valuable as material for composites and tools.
Highlights
The Popigai impact crater located in Yakutia (Russia) stores unlimited amounts of impact diamond with exceptional technological properties
In 2010 we got a collection of impact diamonds from previous work at Popigai and resumed the tests
Thereby the graphite underwent martensitic transformation into a mixture of high-pressure cubic diamond and hexagonal lonsdaleite; some amount of graphite survived as a residual phase either in aggregates with high-pressure phases or as separate particles
Summary
The Popigai impact crater located in Yakutia (Russia) stores unlimited amounts of impact diamond with exceptional technological properties. Studies of the Popigai impact crater have a dramatic history. The research was active from 1971, when V.L. Masaitis first proved the impact origin of the crater, to 1986, when the work stopped unexpectedly. Nor engineering testing were undertaken; the testing was impossible because few diamond samples were available. In 2010 we got a collection of impact diamonds (about 3000 carat) from previous work at Popigai and resumed the tests. In this paper we characterized the diamonds as valuable raw for advanced technologies
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