Researchers at Rice University determined that precise application of force can start the link between graphene layers and rearrange the crystal lattice into a two-dimensional diamond in a cubic pattern.
Although the processed ultra-thin material consumes little energy to prepare diamond, the small layer of graphene can be converted into a cubic lattice diamond with a slight force at a precise position. This is the new concept of high-quality diamond preparation recently published by Rice University.
According to related researchers, graphene can harden the surface with fluorine or hydrogen. When fluorine atoms or hydrogen atoms are covalently attached to the surface, the diamond-like lattice will continue to be produced as the interlayer carbon-carbon connection is triggered.
The applied force will increase as the number of graphene layers increases. For example, large-scale production of artificial diamonds in large blocks of graphite requires 725,000 pounds per square inch or 10 to 15 gigapascal pressure. Only under nanometer thickness, the surface chemical It is possible to change the thermodynamics of the crystal and shift the phase transition point from a very high pressure to a state where there is almost no pressure.
Single crystal diamond films can be used as thermal sensors or as hardened insulators for cooling nanoelectronics. It can even be doped as a component in optical applications, or used as a wide-bandgap semiconductor in transistors. Pavel Sorokin, a co-author of the report, added, “External pressure can lower this barrier, but chemistry and pressure must work together to produce 2D diamonds.”