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Significance We report on lonsdaleite and diamond formation in ureilite meteorites, which likely come from the mantle of a destroyed inner solar system dwarf planet. In these meteorites, folded graphite… Click to show full abstract
Significance We report on lonsdaleite and diamond formation in ureilite meteorites, which likely come from the mantle of a destroyed inner solar system dwarf planet. In these meteorites, folded graphite crystals have been pseudomorphed by lonsdaleite. This occurred at mildly elevated pressures through reaction between graphite and supercritical C-H-O-S fluids. Ongoing reaction during cooling then promoted partial replacement of lonsdaleite by diamond + graphite. This process is akin to industrial chemical vapor deposition but operates at higher pressure (∼1–100 bar) and provides a pathway toward manufacture of shaped lonsdaleite for industrial application.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2022
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