A super hard polycrystalline construction comprises a body of polycrystalline super hard material, said body having an exposed working surface. The body of polycrystalline super hard material comprises a first region adjacent the working surface and a second region adjacent the first region; the first region being more thermally stable than the second region; and a plurality of apertures or channels, one or more of said apertures or channels extending from the exposed working surface of the body into the second region.

Methods for preparing a layered metal nanocomposite and a layered metal nanocomposite. The method includes mixing a magnesium salt and a aluminum salt to form a Mg.sup.2+/Al.sup.3+ solution. The Mg/Al has a molar ratio of between 0.5:1 to 6:1. Then a diamondoid compound is added to the Mg.sup.2+/Al.sup.3+ solution to form a reactant mixture. The diamondoid compound has at least one carboxylic acid moiety. The reactant mixture is heated at a reaction temperature for a reaction time to form a Mg/Al-diamondoid intercalated layered double hydroxide. The Mg/Al-diamondoid intercalated layered double hydroxide is thermally decomposed under a reducing atmosphere for a decomposition time at a decomposition temperature to form the layered metal nanocomposite.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, a cutting table comprising a hard material attached to the supporting substrate, and a fluid flow pathway extending through the supporting substrate and the cutting table. The fluid flow pathway is configured to direct fluid delivered to an outermost boundary of the supporting substrate through internal regions of the supporting substrate and the cutting table. A method of forming a cutting element and an earth-boring tool are also described.

A heat dissipation substrate having a metallic layer with few defects on its surface is obtained by a process including the steps of: forming a metallic layer by plating on the surface of an alloy composite mainly composed of a powder of a principal metal, additional metal and diamond; and heating and pressurizing alloy composite coated with metallic layer, at a temperature equal to or lower than melting points of the metallic layer and the alloy composite. Consequently a heat dissipation substrate is obtained which has a coefficient of linear expansion of 6.5 ppm/K or higher and 15 ppm/K or lower as well as a degree of thermal conductivity of 420 W/m.Math.K or higher, the substrate having a metallic layer with few defects in its surface layer and thereby allowing for a Ni-based plating on which the void percentage in the solder joint will be 5% or lower.

Embodiments relate to PDCs, methods of fabricating PDCs, and applications for such PDCs. In an embodiment, a PDC includes a substrate and a pre-sintered PCD table including an interfacial surface that is bonded to the substrate. The pre-sintered PCD table may be substantially free of leaching by-products in a region at least proximate to the interfacial surface. In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a PDC includes providing an at least partially leached PCD including an interfacial surface. The method includes removing at least some leaching by-products from the at least partially leached PCD table. After removing the at least some leaching by-products, the method includes bonding the interfacial surface of the at least partially leached PCD table to a substrate to form a PDC.

A copper-diamond composite (30) according to the present invention includes a plurality of diamond particles (20) that are dispersed in a metal matrix (10) containing copper, in which when a particle size distribution of the diamond particles (20) is measured using an image particle size distribution analyzer, a number average of a sphericity distribution of the diamond particles (20) is 0.90 or more.

Cutters for a downhole drill bit can be formed by providing a catalyst-free synthesized polycrystalline diamond (PCD) having a cross-sectional dimension of at least 8 millimeters; providing a substrate comprising tungsten carbide; and attaching the synthesized PCD to the substrate comprising tungsten carbide to form a PDC cutter.

A fiber-reinforced cutting element for a drill bit and method of manufacturing same is disclosed. A plurality of fibers are formed in and embedded between the PCD table and the attached substrate. The fibers enhance the thermo-mechanical integrity of the cutting element as well as its wear and abrasion resistance and also help to minimize the failure of the bond between the PCD table and the substrate. The fibers may be coated with a ceramic material to help withstand the high temperatures during the HTHP sintering process used to form the PCD table. The PCD table is leached following the HTHP press cycle thereby partially exposing the fibers. The PCD table with partially exposed fibers is then bonded to a substrate through an infiltration, hot pressing or sintering process. A binder may optionally be used to enhance the binding of the substrate to the PCD table.

Cutting elements include a diamond-bonded body attached with a substrate. The substrate has a coercivity of greater than about 200 Oe, and has a magnetic saturation of from about 73 to 90. The diamond-bonded body has a compressive stress at the surface of greater than about 0.9 GPa after heat treatment, and greater than about 1.2 GPa prior to heat treatment.

The present disclosure relates to polycrystalline diamond covalently bonded to a substrate by spark plasma sintering and methods of covalently bonding polycrystalline diamond and a substrate. Spark plasma sintering produces plasma from a reactant gas found in the pores in the polycrystalline diamond and, optionally, also the substrate. The plasma forms carbide structures in the pores, which covalently bond to the substrate.