Lonsdaleite

Last updated

Lonsdaleite
Lonsdaleite.png
Crystal structure of lonsdaleite
General
Category Mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
C
IMA symbol Lon [1]
Strunz classification 1.CB.10b
Crystal system Hexagonal
Crystal class Dihexagonal dipyramidal (6/mmm)
H-M symbol: (6/m 2/m 2/m)
Space group P63/mmc
Unit cell a = 2.51 Å, c = 4.12 Å; Z = 4
Structure
Jmol (3D) Interactive image
Identification
ColorGray in crystals, pale yellowish to brown in broken fragments
Crystal habit Cubes in fine-grained aggregates
Mohs scale hardness7–8 (for impure specimens)
Luster Adamantine
Diaphaneity Transparent
Specific gravity 3.2
Optical propertiesUniaxial (+/−)
Refractive index n = 2.404
References [2] [3] [4]

Lonsdaleite (named in honour of Kathleen Lonsdale), also called hexagonal diamond in reference to the crystal structure, is an allotrope of carbon with a hexagonal lattice, as opposed to the cubical lattice of conventional diamond. It is found in nature in meteorite debris; when meteors containing graphite strike the Earth, the immense heat and stress of the impact transforms the graphite into diamond, but retains graphite's hexagonal crystal lattice. Lonsdaleite was first identified in 1967 from the Canyon Diablo meteorite, where it occurs as microscopic crystals associated with ordinary diamond. [5] [6]

Contents

It is translucent and brownish-yellow and has an index of refraction of 2.40–2.41 and a specific gravity of 3.2–3.3 . Its hardness is theoretically superior to that of cubic diamond (up to 58% more), according to computational simulations, but natural specimens exhibited somewhat lower hardness through a large range of values (from 7–8 on Mohs hardness scale). The cause is speculated as being due to the samples having been riddled with lattice defects and impurities. [7]

In addition to meteorite deposits, hexagonal diamond has been synthesized in the laboratory (1966 or earlier; published in 1967) [8] by compressing and heating graphite either in a static press or using explosives. [9]

Hardness

According to the conventional interpretation of the results of examining the meagre samples collected from meteorites or manufactured in the lab, lonsdaleite has a hexagonal unit cell, related to the diamond unit cell in the same way that the hexagonal and cubic close packed crystal systems are related. Its diamond structure can be considered to be made up of interlocking rings of six carbon atoms, in the chair conformation. In lonsdaleite, some rings are in the boat conformation instead. At nanoscale dimensions, cubic diamond is represented by diamondoids while hexagonal diamond is represented by wurtzoids . [10]

In diamond, all the carbon-to-carbon bonds, both within a layer of rings and between them, are in the staggered conformation, thus causing all four cubic-diagonal directions to be equivalent; whereas in lonsdaleite the bonds between layers are in the eclipsed conformation, which defines the axis of hexagonal symmetry.

Mineralogical simulation predicts lonsdaleite to be 58% harder than diamond on the <100> face, and to resist indentation pressures of 152  GPa, whereas diamond would break at 97 GPa. [11] This is yet exceeded by IIa diamond's <111> tip hardness of 162 GPa.

The extrapolated properties of lonsdaleite have been questioned, particularly its superior hardness, since specimens under crystallographic inspection have not shown a bulk hexagonal lattice structure, but instead a conventional cubic diamond dominated by structural defects that include hexagonal sequences. [12] A quantitative analysis of the X-ray diffraction data of lonsdaleite has shown that about equal amounts of hexagonal and cubic stacking sequences are present. Consequently, it has been suggested that "stacking disordered diamond" is the most accurate structural description of lonsdaleite. [13] On the other hand, recent shock experiments with in situ X-ray diffraction show strong evidence for creation of relatively pure lonsdaleite in dynamic high-pressure environments comparable to meteorite impacts. [14] [15]

Occurrence

Diamond samples from the Popigai impact structure: (a) is pure diamond, while (b) is diamond with some lonsdaleite impurities. Popigai nanodiamonds.jpg
Diamond samples from the Popigai impact structure: (a) is pure diamond, while (b) is diamond with some lonsdaleite impurities.

Lonsdaleite occurs as microscopic crystals associated with diamond in several meteorites: Canyon Diablo, [16] Kenna, and Allan Hills 77283. It is also naturally occurring in non-bolide diamond placer deposits in the Sakha Republic. [17] Material with d-spacings consistent with Lonsdaleite has been found in sediments with highly uncertain dates at Lake Cuitzeo, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, by proponents of the controversial Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, [18] which is now refuted by earth scientists and planetary impact specialists. [19] Claims of Lonsdaleite and other nanodiamonds in a layer of the Greenland ice sheet that could be of Younger Dryas age have not been confirmed and are now disputed. [20] Its presence in local peat deposits is claimed as evidence for the Tunguska event being caused by a meteor rather than by a cometary fragment. [21] [22]

Manufacture

In addition to laboratory synthesis by compressing and heating graphite either in a static press or using explosives, [8] [9] lonsdaleite has also been produced by chemical vapor deposition, [23] [24] [25] and also by the thermal decomposition of a polymer, poly(hydridocarbyne), at atmospheric pressure, under argon atmosphere, at 1,000 °C (1,832 °F). [26] [27]

In 2020, researchers at Australian National University found by accident they were able to produce lonsdaleite at room temperatures using a diamond anvil cell. [28] [29]

In 2021, Washington State University's Institute for Shock Physics published a paper stating that they created lonsdaleite crystals large enough to measure their stiffness, confirming that they are stiffer than common cubic diamonds. However, the explosion used to create these crystals also destroys them nanoseconds later, providing just enough time to measure stiffness with lasers. [30]

Lonsdaleite Scams

Since the characteristics of lonsdaleite are unknown to most people outside of scientists trained in geology and mineralogy, the names "lonsdaleite" and "hexagonal diamond" have frequently been used in the fraudulent sale of worthless ceramic artifacts, passed off as meteorites on online e-commerce sites and at street fairs and street markets, with prices ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boron nitride</span> Refractory compound of boron and nitrogen with formula BN

Boron nitride is a thermally and chemically resistant refractory compound of boron and nitrogen with the chemical formula BN. It exists in various crystalline forms that are isoelectronic to a similarly structured carbon lattice. The hexagonal form corresponding to graphite is the most stable and soft among BN polymorphs, and is therefore used as a lubricant and an additive to cosmetic products. The cubic variety analogous to diamond is called c-BN; it is softer than diamond, but its thermal and chemical stability is superior. The rare wurtzite BN modification is similar to lonsdaleite but slightly softer than the cubic form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon</span> Chemical element with atomic number 6 (C)

Carbon is a chemical element; it has symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 electrons. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes up about 0.025 percent of Earth's crust. Three isotopes occur naturally, 12C and 13C being stable, while 14C is a radionuclide, decaying with a half-life of 5,700 years. Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond</span> Form of carbon

Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond as a form of carbon is a tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. They are also the reason that diamond anvil cells can subject materials to pressures found deep in the Earth.

β-Carbon nitride Chemical compound

β-Carbon nitride (beta-carbon nitride), β-C3N4, is a superhard material predicted to be harder than diamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moissanite</span> Silicon carbide mineral

Moissanite is naturally occurring silicon carbide and its various crystalline polymorphs. It has the chemical formula SiC and is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893. Silicon carbide or moissanite is useful for commercial and industrial applications due to its hardness, optical properties and thermal conductivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allotropes of carbon</span> Materials made only out of carbon

Carbon is capable of forming many allotropes due to its valency (tetravalent). Well-known forms of carbon include diamond and graphite. In recent decades, many more allotropes have been discovered and researched, including ball shapes such as buckminsterfullerene and sheets such as graphene. Larger-scale structures of carbon include nanotubes, nanobuds and nanoribbons. Other unusual forms of carbon exist at very high temperatures or extreme pressures. Around 500 hypothetical 3‑periodic allotropes of carbon are known at the present time, according to the Samara Carbon Allotrope Database (SACADA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubic crystal system</span> Crystallographic system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube

In crystallography, the cubiccrystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popigai impact structure</span> Impact crater in Siberia, Russia

The Popigai impact structure is the eroded remnant of an impact crater in northern Siberia, Russia. It is tied with the Manicouagan structure as the fourth largest verified impact structure on Earth. A large bolide impact created the 100-kilometre (62 mi) diameter crater approximately 35 million years ago during the late Eocene epoch. It might be linked to the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event.

Amorphous carbon is free, reactive carbon that has no crystalline structure. Amorphous carbon materials may be stabilized by terminating dangling-π bonds with hydrogen. As with other amorphous solids, some short-range order can be observed. Amorphous carbon is often abbreviated to aC for general amorphous carbon, aC:H or HAC for hydrogenated amorphous carbon, or to ta-C for tetrahedral amorphous carbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhard material</span> Material with Vickers hardness exceeding 40 gigapascals

A superhard material is a material with a hardness value exceeding 40 gigapascals (GPa) when measured by the Vickers hardness test. They are virtually incompressible solids with high electron density and high bond covalency. As a result of their unique properties, these materials are of great interest in many industrial areas including, but not limited to, abrasives, polishing and cutting tools, disc brakes, and wear-resistant and protective coatings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Material properties of diamond</span>

Diamond is the allotrope of carbon in which the carbon atoms are arranged in the specific type of cubic lattice called diamond cubic. It is a crystal that is transparent to opaque and which is generally isotropic. Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material known. Yet, due to important structural brittleness, bulk diamond's toughness is only fair to good. The precise tensile strength of bulk diamond is little known; however, compressive strength up to 60 GPa has been observed, and it could be as high as 90–100 GPa in the form of micro/nanometer-sized wires or needles, with a corresponding maximum tensile elastic strain in excess of 9%. The anisotropy of diamond hardness is carefully considered during diamond cutting. Diamond has a high refractive index (2.417) and moderate dispersion (0.044) properties that give cut diamonds their brilliance. Scientists classify diamonds into four main types according to the nature of crystallographic defects present. Trace impurities substitutionally replacing carbon atoms in a diamond's crystal structure, and in some cases structural defects, are responsible for the wide range of colors seen in diamond. Most diamonds are electrical insulators and extremely efficient thermal conductors. Unlike many other minerals, the specific gravity of diamond crystals (3.52) has rather small variation from diamond to diamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stishovite</span> Tetragonal form of silicon dioxide

Stishovite is an extremely hard, dense tetragonal form (polymorph) of silicon dioxide. It is very rare on the Earth's surface; however, it may be a predominant form of silicon dioxide in the Earth, especially in the lower mantle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond-like carbon</span> Class of amorphous carbon material

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is a class of amorphous carbon material that displays some of the typical properties of diamond. DLC is usually applied as coatings to other materials that could benefit from such properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonado</span> Impure form of polycrystalline diamond consisting of diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon

Carbonado, commonly known as black diamond, is one of the toughest forms of natural diamond. It is an impure, high-density, micro-porous form of polycrystalline diamond consisting of diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon, with minor crystalline precipitates filling pores and occasional reduced metal inclusions. Titanium nitride has been found in carbonado. It is found primarily in alluvial deposits where it is most prominent in mid-elevation equatorial regions such as Central African Republic and in Brazil, where the vast majority of carbonado diamondites have been found. Its natural colour is black or dark grey, and it is more porous than other diamonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggregated diamond nanorod</span> Nanocrystalline form of diamond

Aggregated diamond nanorods, or ADNRs, are a nanocrystalline form of diamond, also known as nanodiamond or hyperdiamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taenite</span> Alloy of iron and nickel found in meteorites

Taenite is a mineral found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorites. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, with a chemical formula of Fe,Ni and nickel proportions of 20% up to 65%.

Heterodiamond is a superhard material containing boron, carbon, and nitrogen (BCN). It is formed at high temperatures and high pressures, e.g., by application of an explosive shock wave to a mixture of diamond and cubic boron nitride (c-BN). The heterodiamond is a polycrystalline material coagulated with nano-crystallites and the fine powder is tinged with deep bluish black. The heterodiamond has both the high hardness of diamond and the excellent heat resistance of cubic BN. These characteristic properties are due to the diamond structure combined with the sp3 σ-bonds among carbon and the heteroatoms.

Although diamonds on Earth are rare, extraterrestrial diamonds are very common. Diamonds so small that they contain only about 2000 carbon atoms are abundant in meteorites, and some of them formed in stars before the Solar System existed. High pressure experiments suggest large amounts of diamonds are formed from methane on the ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune, while some planets in other planetary systems may be almost pure diamond. Diamonds are also found in stars and may have been the first mineral ever to have formed.

Francis Pettit Bundy was an American physicist, known as a member of General Electric's team of researchers that in December 1954 created diamond chips by applying ultra high pressure to graphite with iron sulfide as a catalyst.

Herbert Maxwell Strong was an American physicist and inventor, known as part of the General Electric (GE) team of researchers who synthesized diamonds in late 1954, as announced by GE in early 1955.

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi: 10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . S2CID   235729616.
  2. "Lonsdaleite". Mindat.org.
  3. "Lonsdaleite" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy via University of Arizona, Department of Geology.
  4. "Lonsdaleite data". Webmineral.
  5. Frondel, C.; Marvin, U.B. (1967). "Lonsdaleite, a new hexagonal polymorph of diamond". Nature. 214 (5088): 587–589. Bibcode:1967Natur.214..587F. doi:10.1038/214587a0. S2CID   4184812.
  6. Frondel, C.; Marvin, U.B. (1967). "Lonsdaleite, a hexagonal polymorph of diamond". American Mineralogist. 52 (5088): 587. Bibcode:1967Natur.214..587F. doi:10.1038/214587a0. S2CID   4184812.
  7. Carlomagno, G.M.; Brebbia, C.A. (2011). Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements. Vol. XV. WIT Press. ISBN   978-1-84564-540-3.
  8. 1 2 Bundy, F.P.; Kasper, J.S. (1967). "Hexagonal diamond — a new form of carbon". Journal of Chemical Physics. 46 (9): 3437. Bibcode:1967JChPh..46.3437B. doi:10.1063/1.1841236.
  9. 1 2 He, Hongliang; Sekine, T.; Kobayashi, T. (2002). "Direct transformation of cubic diamond to hexagonal diamond". Applied Physics Letters. 81 (4): 610. Bibcode:2002ApPhL..81..610H. doi:10.1063/1.1495078.
  10. Abdulsattar, M. (2015). "Molecular approach to hexagonal and cubic diamond nanocrystals". Carbon Letters. 16 (3): 192–197. doi: 10.5714/CL.2015.16.3.192 .
  11. Pan, Zicheng; Sun, Hong; Zhang, Yi & Chen, Changfeng (2009). "Harder than diamond: Superior indentation strength of wurtzite BN and lonsdaleite". Physical Review Letters. 102 (5): 055503. Bibcode:2009PhRvL.102e5503P. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.055503. PMID   19257519.
  12. Nemeth, P.; Garvie, L.A.J.; Aoki, T.; Natalia, D.; Dubrovinsky, L.; Buseck, P.R. (2014). "Lonsdaleite is faulted and twinned cubic diamond and does not exist as a discrete material". Nature Communications. 5: 5447. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.5447N. doi: 10.1038/ncomms6447 . hdl: 2286/R.I.28362 . PMID   25410324.
  13. Salzmann, C.G.; Murray, B.J.; Shephard, J.J. (2015). "Extent of stacking disorder in diamond". Diamond and Related Materials. 59: 69–72. arXiv: 1505.02561 . Bibcode:2015DRM....59...69S. doi:10.1016/j.diamond.2015.09.007. S2CID   53416525.
  14. Kraus, D.; Ravasio, A.; Gauthier, M.; Gericke, D.O.; Vorberger, J.; Frydrych, S.; Helfrich, J.; Fletcher, L.B.; Schaumann, G.; Nagler, B.; Barbrel, B.; Bachmann, B.; Gamboa, E.J.; Goede, S.; Granados, E.; Gregori, G.; Lee, H.J.; Neumayer, P.; Schumaker, W.; Doeppner, T.; Falcone, R.W.; Glenzer, S.H.; Roth, M. (2016). "Nanosecond formation of diamond and lonsdaleite by shock compression of graphite". Nature Communications. 7: 10970. Bibcode:2016NatCo...710970K. doi:10.1038/ncomms10970. PMC   4793081 . PMID   26972122.
  15. Turneaure, Stefan J.; Sharma, Surinder M.; Volz, Travis J.; Winey, J.M.; Gupta, Yogendra M. (1 October 2017). "Transformation of shock-compressed graphite to hexagonal diamond in nanoseconds". Science Advances. 3 (10): eaao3561. Bibcode:2017SciA....3O3561T. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aao3561. ISSN   2375-2548. PMC   5659656 . PMID   29098183.
  16. Lea, Robert (12 September 2022). "Dwarf planet collision may have sent strange ultra-hard diamonds to Earth". Space.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  17. Kaminskii, F.V.; G.K. Blinova; E.M. Galimov; G.A. Gurkina; Y.A. Klyuev; L.A. Kodina; V.I. Koptil; V.F. Krivonos; L.N. Frolova; A.Y. Khrenov (1985). "Polycrystalline aggregates of diamond with lonsdaleite from Yakutian [Sakhan] placers". Mineral. Zhurnal. 7: 27–36.
  18. Israde-Alcantara, I.; Bischoff, J.L.; Dominguez-Vazquez, G.; Li, H.-C.; Decarli, P.S.; Bunch, T.E.; et al. (2012). "Evidence from central Mexico supporting the Younger Dryas extraterrestrial impact hypothesis". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (13): E:738–747. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109E.738I. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1110614109 . PMC   3324006 . PMID   22392980.
  19. Holliday, Vance T.; Daulton, Tyrone L.; Bartlein, Patrick J.; Boslough, Mark B.; Breslawski, Ryan P.; Fisher, Abigail E.; Jorgeson, Ian A.; Scott, Andrew C.; Koeberl, Christian; Marlon, Jennifer; Severinghaus, Jeffrey; Petaev, Michail I.; Claeys, Philippe (26 July 2023). "Comprehensive refutation of the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH)". Earth-Science Reviews: 104502. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104502 .
  20. Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Mayewski, Paul A.; Steffensen, Jorgen P.; West, Allen; Kennett, Douglas J.; Kennett, James P.; Bunch, Ted E.; Handley, Mike; Introne, Douglas S.; Hee, Shane S. Que; Mercer, Christopher; Sellers, Marilee; Shen, Feng; Sneed, Sharon B.; Weaver, James C.; Wittke, James H.; Stafford, Thomas W.; Donovan, John J.; Xie, Sujing; Razink, Joshua J.; Stich, Adrienne; Kinzie, Charles R.; Wolbach, Wendy S. (20 September 2022). "Discovery of a nanodiamond-rich layer in the Greenland ice sheet". PubPeer. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  21. Kvasnytsya, Victor; Wirth; Dobrzhinetskaya; Matzel; Jacobsend; Hutcheon; Tappero; Kovalyukh (August 2013). "New evidence of meteoritic origin of the Tunguska cosmic body". Planetary and Space Science. 84: 131–140. Bibcode:2013P&SS...84..131K. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2013.05.003.
  22. Redfern, Simon (28 June 2013). "Russian meteor shockwave circled globe twice". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  23. Bhargava, Sanjay; Bist, H.D.; Sahli, S.; Aslam, M.; Tripathi, H.B. (1995). "Diamond polytypes in the chemical vapor deposited diamond films". Applied Physics Letters. 67 (12): 1706. Bibcode:1995ApPhL..67.1706B. doi:10.1063/1.115023.
  24. Nishitani-Gamo, Mikka; Sakaguchi, Isao; Loh, Kian Ping; Kanda, Hisao; Ando, Toshihiro (1998). "Confocal Raman spectroscopic observation of hexagonal diamond formation from dissolved carbon in nickel under chemical vapor deposition conditions". Applied Physics Letters. 73 (6): 765. Bibcode:1998ApPhL..73..765N. doi:10.1063/1.121994.
  25. Misra, Abha; Tyagi, Pawan K.; Yadav, Brajesh S.; Rai, P.; Misra, D.S.; Pancholi, Vivek; Samajdar, I.D. (2006). "Hexagonal diamond synthesis on h-GaN strained films". Applied Physics Letters. 89 (7): 071911. Bibcode:2006ApPhL..89g1911M. doi:10.1063/1.2218043.
  26. Nur, Yusuf; Pitcher, Michael; Seyyidoğlu, Semih; Toppare, Levent (2008). "Facile synthesis of poly(hydridocarbyne): A precursor to diamond and diamond-like ceramics". Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A. 45 (5): 358. doi:10.1080/10601320801946108. S2CID   93635541.
  27. Nur, Yusuf; Cengiz, Halime M.; Pitcher, Michael W.; Toppare, Levent K. (2009). "Electrochemical polymerizatıon of hexachloroethane to form poly(hydridocarbyne): A pre-ceramic polymer for diamond production". Journal of Materials Science. 44 (11): 2774. Bibcode:2009JMatS..44.2774N. doi:10.1007/s10853-009-3364-4. S2CID   97604277.
  28. Lavars, Nick (18 November 2020). "Scientists produce rare diamonds in minutes at room temperature". New Atlas. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  29. McCulloch, Dougal G.; Wong, Sherman; Shiell, Thomas B.; Haberl, Bianca; Cook, Brenton A.; Huang, Xingshuo; Boehler, Reinhard; McKenzie, David R.; Bradby, Jodie E. (2020). "Investigation of room temperature formation of the ultra-hard nanocarbons diamond and lonsdaleite". Small. 16 (50): 2004695. doi:10.1002/smll.202004695. ISSN   1613-6829. OSTI   1709105. PMID   33150739. S2CID   226259491.
  30. "Lab made hexagonal diamonds stiffer than natural cubic diamonds". Phys.org. March 2021.
  31. "Mill balls and "lonsdaleite diamonds" | Some Meteorite Information | Washington University in St. Louis". sites.wustl.edu. Retrieved 6 October 2024.

Further reading