Nanocrystalline diamond synthesized from C60

A bulk sample of nanocrystalline cubic diamond with crystallite sizes of 5-12 nm was synthesised from fullerene C60 at 20(1) GPa and 2000 °C using a multi-anvil apparatus. The new material is at least as hard as single crystal diamond. It was found that nanocrystalline diamond at high temperature and ambient pressure kinetically is more stable with respect to graphitisation than usual diamonds.