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 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.
Details
Title
- Lonsdaleite is faulted and twinned cubic diamond and does not exist as a discrete material
Contributors
- Nemeth, Peter (Author)
- Garvie, Laurence (Author)
- Aoki, Toshihiro (Author)
- Dubrovinskaia, Natalia (Author)
- Dubrovinsky, Leonid (Author)
- Buseck, Peter (Author)
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
- School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor)
- Center for Meteorite Studies (Contributor)
- Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (Contributor)
- LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science (Contributor)
- School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2014-11-01
Resource Type
Collections this item is in
Identifier
- Digital object identifier: 10.1038/ncomms6447
- Identifier TypeInternational standard serial numberIdentifier Value0032-0633
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…