Description
Lonsdaleite, also called hexagonal diamond, has been widely used as a marker of asteroidal impacts. It is thought to play a central role during the graphite-to-diamond transformation, and calculations suggest that it possesses mechanical properties superior to diamond. However, despite

Lonsdaleite, also called hexagonal diamond, has been widely used as a marker of asteroidal impacts. It is thought to play a central role during the graphite-to-diamond transformation, and calculations suggest that it possesses mechanical properties superior to diamond. However, despite extensive efforts, lonsdaleite has never been produced or described as a separate, pure material. Here we show that defects in cubic diamond provide an explanation for the characteristic d-spacings and reflections reported for lonsdaleite. Ultrahigh-resolution electron microscope images demonstrate that samples displaying features attributed to lonsdaleite consist of cubic diamond dominated by extensive {113} twins and {111} stacking faults. These defects give rise to nanometre-scale structural complexity. Our findings question the existence of lonsdaleite and point to the need for re-evaluating the interpretations of many lonsdaleite-related fundamental and applied studies.
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    Title
    • Lonsdaleite is faulted and twinned cubic diamond and does not exist as a discrete material
    Date Created
    2014-11-01
    Resource Type
  • Text
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    Identifier
    • Digital object identifier: 10.1038/ncomms6447
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      0032-0633
    Note
    • The final version of this article, as published in NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, can be viewed online at: http://www.nature.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ncomms/2014/141120/ncomms6447/full/ncomms6447.html

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    Nemeth, Peter, Garvie, Laurence A. J., Aoki, Toshihiro, Dubrovinskaia, Natalia, Dubrovinsky, Leonid, & Buseck, Peter R. (2014). Lonsdaleite is faulted and twinned cubic diamond and does not exist as a discrete material. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 5(0), 0-0. http://www.nature.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ncomms/2014/141120/ncomms644…

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