Formation of Diamonds from Acetone and Chlorides in Solution

We report a simple method to synthesize diamonds in aliquid fromsolvothermal reactions of acetone and chlorides. The structure andpurity of a cubic diamond (CD) were characterized by X-ray diffraction,Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron diffraction,electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Furthermore,unique and characteristic carbon dumbbell pairs were observed withCs-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to confirmunambiguously the CD structure. These findings offer a simple routeto synthesize diamonds of nanoscale or large sizes in solutions.

Automated summary

We have developed a simple method for synthesizing diamonds in liquid form through solvothermal reactions of acetone and chlorides. Various characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron diffraction, electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy were employed to confirm the structure and purity of the synthesized cubic diamond (CD). Additionally, the use of Cs-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of unique carbon dumbbell pairs, further confirming the CD structure. This research provides a straightforward approach for synthesizing diamonds of nanoscale or large sizes in solution.