Radial distribution function of a new form of amorphous diamond shock induced fromC60fullerene

The radial distribution function of a new form of amorphous diamond, synthesized from ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ fullerene by shock compression and rapid quenching, was obtained from an electron diffraction pattern using an imaging plate. The present amorphous diamond was essentially amorphous material based on diffractometry. Analysis of the local structure around an atom revealed that the amorphous material was distinguishable not only from ${\mathit{sp}}^2$-based amorphous material but also from some tetrahedrally coordinated amorphous carbon and other amorphous semiconductors previously reported. The carbon atoms in the present material were tetrahedrally coordinated, forming regular tetrahedra that additionally were arranged in the same manner as those of crystalline diamond within a unit-cell size region. The implications of producing the new form of amorphous diamond from ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ fullerene also are discussed in the present paper.