Chinese researchers create diamond under frictional conditions
Academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have produced diamond through friction, challenging the long-held belief that friction only transforms carbon materials into graphite.
Scientists at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully synthesized diamond under conditions of tribological sliding. This achievement overturns previously accepted scientific understanding in the field.
For decades, the prevailing theory in tribology held that friction and mechanical movement typically cause carbon materials to graphitize. The formation of diamond was considered impossible outside of static extreme conditions, such as high pressure and temperature, which are not present in dynamic frictional environments.
The research team developed a novel two-dimensional "sandwich structure" strategy. They utilized layered 2D materials to capture and confine carbon debris generated during friction. This confined environment effectively suppressed heat dissipation and restricted atomic movement, creating localized super-high pressure and low atomic mobility conditions conducive to diamond formation.
In experiments conducted at an initial contact pressure of 1.08 GPa, approximately 11.2% of the amorphous carbon was converted to diamond. At 1.40 GPa, this conversion rate increased to about 38.5%. The findings pave the way for new methods in low-energy diamond material synthesis and the development of ultra-hard, wear-resistant coatings.
The research was published on June 25 in the journal Advanced Materials.