Abstract:
Large single crystal diamonds were synthesized using Ti/TiC and Cu as additives in the Fe
64Ni
36-C system under 5.6 GPa and at 1 543 K. The synthesized crystals were characterized by optical microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Results show that both Ti and TiC react with N to form TiN and Ti (C
1-x,N
x), respectively, which leads to a poor nitrogen removal efficiency and a large number of inclusions and pits in the crystals. Co-doping Ti or TiC with Cu promotes the decomposition of TiC to release Ti, which improves the nitrogen removal efficiency, and thereby reduces the number of defects and inclusions in the diamond crystals. A high-quality type Ⅱa diamond crystal was optimally synthesized when the Ti/Cu contents were 1.70 wt.%/1.06 wt.% (Ti:Cu=4:2.5).