An apparatus and a method for continuous solvothermal synthesis of nanoparticles, are provided. The apparatus includes an inlet section, a reactor section, a flexible quenching unit, and an outlet section. The inlet section separately receives reactants including the solvent and a precursor solution that are allowed to flow into the reactor section. The reactor section includes multiple spiral turns such that each of the spiral turns includes a helical channel followed by a counter-helical channel for enabling mixing of the reactants to cause solvothermal reactions between them. The counter-helical channel changes the direction of flow of reactants upon flow of said reactants from the helical channel to the counter-helical channel. The flexible quenching section enclosing a portion of the reactor section quenches a slurry formed as a result of the solvothermal reactions, wherein the slurry includes the nanoparticles of targeted characteristics. The outlet section facilitates withdrawal of the slurry.

A superabrasive material and method of making the superabrasive material are provided. The superabrasive material may comprise a superabrasive crystal having an irregular surface. The superabrasive material further comprises a plurality of structure defects within the superabrasive crystal. The plurality of structure defects may cause micro-chipping when used as grinding materials.

Methods of forming composite particles include forming a source material over a plurality of nucleation cores and forming a catalyst material over the source material. Compositions of matter include a plurality of composite particles, each particle of the plurality comprising a plurality of nucleation cores, a source material disposed over the nucleation cores, and a catalyst material disposed over the source material. Methods of forming earth-boring tools include forming a plurality of composite particles, combining the plurality of composite particles with a plurality of grains of hard material, and catalyzing the formation of inter-granular bonds between the composite particles and the grains of hard material to faun a polycrystalline material. The plurality of in situ nucleated grains of hard material and the plurality of grains of hard material may be interspersed and inter-bonded.

Single-crystal diamond is composed of carbon in which a concentration of a carbon isotope .sup.12C is not lower than 99.9 mass % and a plurality of inevitable impurities other than carbon. The inevitable impurities include nitrogen, boron, hydrogen, and nickel, and a total content of nitrogen, boron, and hydrogen of the plurality of inevitable impurities is not higher than 0.01 mass %. In order to manufacture single-crystal diamond, initially, a hydrocarbon gas in which a concentration of the carbon isotope .sup.12C is not lower than 99.9 mass % is subjected to denitrification.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for growing a diamond. The apparatus for growing a diamond comprises: a reaction cell that is configured to grow the diamond therein; a main heater including a main heating surface that is arranged along a first inner surface of the reaction cell; and a sub-heater including a sub-heating surface that is arranged along a second inner surface of the reaction cell, the second inner surface being non-parallel with the first inner surface.

An electrode comprising synthetic high-pressure high-temperature diamond material, the diamond material comprising a substitutional boron concentration of between 1×10.sup.20 and 5×10.sup.21 atoms/cm.sup.3 and a nitrogen concentration of no more than 10.sup.19 atoms/cm.sup.3. The electrode has a ΔE.sub.3/4-1/4 as measured with respect to a saturated calomel reference electrode in an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M KNO.sub.3 and 1 mM of Ru(NH.sub.3).sub.6.sup.3+ selected any of less than 70 mV, less than 68 mV, less than 66 mV, and less than 64 mV, and/or a peak to peak separation ΔE.sub.p as measured with respect to a saturated calomel reference electrode in an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M KNO.sub.3 and 1 mM of Ru(NH.sub.3).sub.6.sup.3+ selected any of less than 70 mV, less than 68 mV, less than 66 mV, and less than 64 mV.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for synthesis of condensed nano-materials to at least one of create nanoparticles or modify existing nanoparticles. In one embodiment the system may have a source of liquid precursor, with the liquid precursor including a compound therein. A flow control element and a compression wave generating subsystem are also included. The flow control element is in communication with the source of the liquid precursor and creates a jet of liquid precursor. The compression wave generating subsystem drives a compression wave through at least a substantial portion of a thickness of the jet of liquid precursor to sufficiently compress the jet of liquid precursor, and to increase pressure and temperature of the jet of liquid precursor, to at least one of create nanoparticles or modify existing nanoparticles.

A polycrystalline diamond structure comprises a first region and a second region adjacent the first region, the second region being bonded to the first region by intergrowth of diamond grains. The first region comprises a plurality of alternating strata or layers, each or one or more strata or layers in the first region having a thickness in the range of around 5 to 300 microns. The polycrystalline diamond (PCD) structure has a diamond content of at most about 95 percent of the volume of the PCD material, a binder content of at least about 5 percent of the volume of the PCD material, and one or more of the layers or strata in the first region comprise and/or the second region comprises diamond grains having a mean diamond grain contiguity of greater than about 60 percent and a standard deviation of less than about 2.2 percent. There is also disclosed a method of making such a polycrystalline diamond structure.

An apparatus and a method for continuous solvothermal synthesis of nanoparticles, are provided. The apparatus includes an inlet section, a reactor section, a flexible quenching unit, and an outlet section. The inlet section separately receives reactants including the solvent and a precursor solution that are allowed to flow into the reactor section. The reactor section includes multiple spiral turns such that each of the spiral turns includes a helical channel followed by a counter-helical channel for enabling mixing of the reactants to cause solvothermal reactions between them. The counter-helical channel changes the direction of flow of reactants upon flow of said reactants from the helical channel to the counter-helical channel. The flexible quenching section enclosing a portion of the reactor section quenches a slurry formed as a result of the solvothermal reactions, wherein the slurry includes the nanoparticles of targeted characteristics. The outlet section facilitates withdrawal of the slurry.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for synthesis of condensed nano-materials to at least one of create nanoparticles or modify existing nanoparticles. In one embodiment the system may have a source of liquid precursor, with the liquid precursor including a compound therein. A flow control element and a compression wave generating subsystem are also included. The flow control element is in communication with the source of the liquid precursor and creates a jet of liquid precursor. The compression wave generating subsystem drives a compression wave through at least a substantial portion of a thickness of the jet of liquid precursor to sufficiently compress the jet of liquid precursor, and to increase pressure and temperature of the jet of liquid precursor, to at least one of create nanoparticles or modify existing nanoparticles.