PHASE-EQUILIBRIA AND CAPILLARY PROPERTIES IN THE CO-MN-C SYSTEM

Experimental studies of phase equilibria in the Co-Mn-C system and con struction of the system melting diagram at atmospheric pressure have a llowed a comprehensive investigation of capillary phenomena at the Go- Mn growth medium-carbon material interface that occur due to variation s of both the liquid phase composition and melting temperature (along the solid-liquid equilibrium line). It was shown that cobalt melts con taining 10-14 at.% Mn might be recommended as growth media for diamond synthesis. Along with the relatively low p,T-parameters, the introduc tion of manganese in such quantities provides optimal synthesis condit ions, i.e., the lowest energy at the crystal - growth medium interface with a rather high solubility of carbon in the melt. (C) 1998 Elsevie r Science B.V. All rights reserved.