Shape Change of Mineral Inclusions in Diamond—The Result of Diffusion Processes

The paper considers the possibility of changing the morphology of inclusions in diamonds based on the study of these inclusions and the inclusion–diamond boundary. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods were used. According to the literature data, it is known that the octahe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Minerals (Basel) 2024-06, Vol.14 (6), p.594
Main Authors: Afanasiev, Valentin, Ugapeva, Sargylana, Logvinova, Alla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crystals
Diamonds
Electron microscopy
Energy value
Epigenetic inheritance
Epigenetics
Free energy
Initial conditions
Lasers
Melting point
Melting points
Microscopy
Mineral inclusions
Minerals
Morphology
Raman spectroscopy
Shape
Silicates
Solid solutions
Spectrum analysis
Surface energy
Surface properties
Surface tension
Temperature
Transmission electron microscopy
Zoning
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The paper considers the possibility of changing the morphology of inclusions in diamonds based on the study of these inclusions and the inclusion–diamond boundary. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods were used. According to the literature data, it is known that the octahedral form of mineral inclusions in diamond is induced, and does not correspond to the initial conditions of joint growth of diamond and inclusion, but the mechanism of this process is not considered. Solids differ in the value of surface Gibbs energy; the harder the material, the higher its melting point and the greater the value of surface Gibbs energy In the case of the diamond–inclusion pair, the surface energy of diamond far exceeds the surface energy of the inclusion. Diamond crystals have a surface energy value for an octahedron face of 5.3 J/m2, dodecahedron—6.5 J/m2, and cube—9.2 J/m2, i.e. it is anomalously high compared to the surface tension of silicate and other minerals. Therefore, the mineral inclusion in diamond tends to the form corresponding to the minimum of free energy in the “diamond–inclusion” pair, and when the energy of diamond dominates, the final shape will be determined by it, i.e. it will be an octahedron. The authors suggest the possibility of redistribution of diamond substance around the inclusion with simultaneous change of the inclusion morphology.
ISSN:2075-163X
2075-163X
DOI:10.3390/min14060594