PHASE COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF CARBONADO DIAMOND POLYCRYSTALS AFTER LASER TREATMENT

Abstract

Synthetic polycrystalline diamonds are mainly composed of inclusions of graphite and a catalyst metal (Me). The presence of these inclusions and their amount significantly affects many of the physical and mechanical properties of diamonds and, ultimately, the performance of diamonds in a tool. Therefore, the study of the quantitative phase composition of synthetic diamonds (SD) is very important. The paper considers the change in the period of the crystal lattice of SD polycrystals and nickel (Ni) impurities after exposure to laser radiation with a wavelength of 1.06 μm. The time of laser irradiation varied from 3 to 60 sec. To determine the crystal lattice period of SA polycrystals, powders with a grain size of 315/250, 200/160, and 100/80 μm were used. A decrease in the crystal lattice period of the studied diamonds was found. We assume that this is due to the diffusion process of ordering of the diamond lattice, when the metal-enriched sections of the diamond-metal-catalyst system are locally heated. The results obtained will make it possible to understand the physical mechanism for increasing the strength of the studied crystals after exposure to laser beams under certain conditions.