About the project
Diamonds are scarce samples from the Earth mantle that typically form at high pressures (HP) and temperatures (HT). They are brought to the surface in violent volcanic explosions. These lithospheric diamonds grow in thermodynamic equilibrium with the mantle environment and provide unique insight into early craton development, craton growth and stabilization processes, as well as tectonic processes that can modify and destroy the cratonic lithosphere. These diamonds consist of . large, cm- and mm-sized single crystals. A sub-set of natural diamonds, however, are micro- and even nano-sized, with a rather complex structure.
This project intends to identify complex diamond structures and correlate them with the extreme pressure and temperature conditions consistent with asteroid impacts as well as the plastic and brittle deformation regimes in Earth’s mantle. Of particular interest is the type and extent of structural complexity in super-deep diamonds, formed in the sublithospheric regions of the mantle (between 300 and 1000 km depth). The formation of these diamonds, which represent only about 1% of all diamonds, can be correlated with release of melts from ancient subducting oceanic lithosphere in deep mantle, and they can provide unique insights into the degree of plastic deformation in deep Earth.
Complex diamond structures have been predicted to possess exceptional hardness as well as improved fracture toughness and ductility. Their controlled incorporations can lead to materials that are not only ultra-hard, but also malleable, i.e., possess the ability to absorb mechanical shock by adjusting their shape in response to applied stress. They can be attractive for engineering the electronic conductivity as well as the optical and thermoelectric properties of diamond. Their exciting mechanical and electronic properties may result in new applications ranging from abrasives and electronics to nanomedicine and laser technology. This project aims to identify successful ways to prepare complex diamond structures in a targeted manner, which can be used to assay their future technological applications.
