Diamond crystallization from a tin–carbon system at HPHT conditions

•Tin acts as the catalyst for conversion of graphite to diamond at HPHT conditions.•Diamond crystallization in the Sn–C system is governed by temperature and kinetics.•The minimum parameters of diamond spontaneous nucleation are 7 GPa and 1700 °C for 20 h.•Synthesized diamonds contain as high as 1600 ppm of nitrogen.

Diamond crystallization from the tin–carbon system has been studied at 7 GPa and temperatures ranging from 1600 to 1900 °C with reaction times from 1 to 20 h. Both diamond growth on the seed crystals and diamond spontaneous nucleation were established, providing evidence for the catalytic ability of tin. A distinctive feature of the Sn–C system is the existence of a significant induction period preceding diamond spontaneous nucleation. Temperature and kinetics are found to be the main factors governing diamond crystallization process. The minimum parameters of diamond spontaneous nucleation are determined to be 7 GPa, 1700 °C and 20 h. The stable form of diamond growth is octahedron and it does not depend on temperature. Synthesized diamonds contain high concentrations of nitrogen impurities up to about 1600 ppm.

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