Diamond crystallization in a CO2-rich alkaline carbonate melt with a nitrogen additive

• Diamond crystallized in experiments with Na2CO3+CO2+N+C system.
• Hexaoctahedron with minor {100} faces is the stationary form of growth
• Diamond layers grown on the natural cubes have fibrous structure.
• Concentration of nitrogen impurities depends on the growth direction and the surface type.

Diamond crystallization was experimentally studied in a CO2-bearing alkaline carbonate melt with an increased content of nitrogen at pressure of 6.3 GPa and temperature of 1500 °C. The growth rate, morphology, internal structure of overgrown layers, and defect-impurity composition of newly formed diamond were investigated. The type of growth patterns on faces, internal structure, and nitrogen content were found to be controlled by both the crystallographic orientation of the growth surfaces and the structure of the original faces of diamond seed crystals. An overgrown layer has a uniform structure on the {100} plane faces of synthetic diamond and a fibrillar (fibrous) structure on the faceted surfaces of a natural diamond cube. The {111} faces have a polycentric vicinal relief with numerous twin intergrowths and micro twin lamellae. The stable form of diamond growth under experimental conditions is a curved-face hexoctahedron with small cube faces. The nitrogen impurity concentration in overgrown layers varies depending on the growth direction and surface type, from 100 to 1100 ppm.