SINGLE-PHASE HEXAGONAL-DIAMOND BULK SINTERED BODY, AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR

摘要

Provided is a method with which pure (single-phase) hexagonal diamond can be obtained in a size (in bulk) large enough to be industrially applicable. Graphite which is highly crystalline and highly oriented, i.e. having a mosaic spread of 5˚or less, is used as a starting material, and a temperature in the range of 1000-1500˚C is imparted thereto under a pressure in the range of 20-25GPa. The size of the single-phase hexagonal-diamond bulk sintered body obtained using this method depends upon the size of the highly oriented/highly crystalline graphite starting material, but as long as the pressure and temperature can be wholly imparted (i.e. the size of a pressurized chamber of a high-pressure/high-temperature imparting device permitting), an arbitrary size can be obtained.