Vl. Kuznetsov et al., Theoretical study of the formation of closed curved graphite-like structures during annealing of diamond surface, J APPL PHYS, 86(2), 1999, pp. 863-870
In recent high resolution transmission electron microscopic studies we have
found that high temperature vacuum annealing (1200-1800 K) of ultradispers
ed (2-5 nm) and micron size diamond produces fullerene-like graphitic speci
es, namely, onion-like carbon and closed curved graphite structures (multil
ayer nanotubes and nanofolds), respectively. Here we undertake theoretical
studies to help in the understanding of the experimental data for these sys
tems. (1) Calculations of cluster models by a standard semiempirical method
(MNDO a software package) are used to explain the preferential exfoliation
of {111} planes over other low index diamond planes. (2) The same approach
suggests the likelihood that the graphitization is initiated by a signific
ant thermal displacement of a single carbon atom at temperatures close to t
he Debye temperature. (3) At the diamond-graphite interface we have observe
d the formation of two curved graphitic sheets from three diamond {111} pla
nes. We suggest that the evolution of this interface proceeds by a "zipper"
-like migration mechanism with the carbon atoms of the middle diamond layer
being distributed equally between the two growing graphitic sheets. (4) Th
e observed mosaic packaging of closed curved graphite structures during the
diamond surface graphitization is suggested to be a self-assembling proces
s. This process is explained in terms of the "stretching" of a bowed graphi
te hexagonal network. The stretch is due to the fact that, if relaxed, the
network would be smaller than the initially transformed hexagonal diamond (
111), and to the increased separation between the separated sheet and the s
urface. The initial phase of the process is studied quantitatively using a
molecular mechanics simulation. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0
021-8979(99)02514-1].