Processing of a Diamond Blend in Supercritical Isopropanol

摘要

Samples of a diamond blend (DB) are processed in supercritical isopropanol using a specially designed unit, and the IR spectra, Raman spectra, and X-ray diffraction data before and after processing are analyzed. It is shown that a noticeable decrease in the intensity of the IR absorption bands of the oxygen-containing bonds is observed as a result of this process, which is indicative of the effective etching of the shell of diamond crystallites during processing. A noticeable increase is found in the half-width of the diamond line in the Raman spectra of the samples subjected to processing, which is determined by the decrease in the dimensions of diamond nanocrystallites due to the etching of the surface defect layer. The proposed method has significant advantages over a traditional acid-based technology of purification of a diamond blend and indicates the prospect of practical application for this process.