SP2-SP3 hybrid crystalline carbon and its preparation process

Abstract

The present disclosure belongs to the technical filed of new carbon materials and relates to a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon named Gradia and its preparation process. A novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon named Gradia is synthesized using sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon as raw materials under high temperature and high pressure. The basic structural units of Gradia are composed of sp.sup.2 hybrid graphite-like structural units and sp.sup.3 hybrid diamond-like structural units. Gradia disclosed in the present disclosure is a class of new sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon allotrope, whose crystal structure can vary with the widths and/or crystallographic orientation relationships of internal sp.sup.2 and/or sp.sup.3 structural units.

Claims

1. An sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope, wherein its basic structural unit is composed of sp.sup.2 hybrid graphite-like structural unit and sp.sup.3 hybrid diamond-like structural unit connected via a coherent interface.

2. The sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope of claim 1, which has a space group of 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m).

3. A process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as defined in claim 1, comprising the steps of: (1) Loading raw carbon materials into a pre-pressing mold, pre-forming the raw carbon materials into a body by using a press, and then placing it in a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering; (2) Putting the pre-sintered carbon raw material body as obtained in step (1) into an assembly block, and then putting the assembly block containing the carbon raw material body into a drying box for drying; (3) Removing the assembly block as obtained in step (2) from the drying box and cooling it, placing it in a press for high temperature and high pressure treatment, and then carrying out pressure relief operation after cooling; (4) Removing the assembly block from the press to obtain the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope.

4. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the assembly block is cooled to room temperature in step (3).

5. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the raw carbon materials comprise any one or several sp.sup.2 hybrid carbons selected from the group consisting of graphite, fullerene C.sub.60, graphene, carbon nanotubes, glassy carbon, amorphous carbon, onion carbon, carbon black, carbine carbon, graphyne, DLC and other carbon materials containing sp.sup.2 hybridization.

6. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pre-sintering step of step (1) is carried out at a temperature of 400-1800° C. for a period of 10-60 min.

7. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pre-formed body of step (1) is a cylinder.

8. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drying step of step (2) is carried out at a temperature of 100-250° C. for 1-3 h.

9. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the high temperature and high pressure treatment of step (3) is carried out at a pressure of 5-25 GPa and a temperature of 25-2500° C. for a holding period of 5-120 minutes.

10. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon has a crystalline structure that may vary with the changes of the widths or crystallographic orientation relationships of the internal sp.sup.2-hybrid graphite-like structural unit and the sp.sup.3-hybrid diamond-like structural unit.

11. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein in step (1) the carbon materials are first subjected to purification by an acid solution to remove impurities and then are cleaned and dried before being loaded into the pre-pressing mold.

12. The process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as claimed in claim 3, wherein the raw carbon materials comprise any one or several sp.sup.2 hybrid carbons, and wherein the high temperature and high pressure treatment of step (3) is carried out at a pressure of 5-25 GPa and a temperature of 25-2500° C. for a holding period of 5-120 minutes.

13. A cutting tool comprising the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as defined in claim 1.

14. A grinding tool comprising the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as defined in claim 1.

15. A semiconductor device comprising the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope as defined in claim 1.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is the high-resolution TEM images of three types of Gradia, a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope in the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is the crystal structure diagram of Gradia-I containing 24 carbon atoms in the unit cell, according to the present disclosure.

(3) FIG. 3 is the crystal structure diagram of Gradia-II containing 88 carbon atoms in the unit cell, according to the present disclosure.

(4) FIG. 4 is the crystal structure diagram of Gradia-III containing 88 carbon atoms in the unit cell, according to the present disclosure.

(5) FIG. 5 is an electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) and a synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of Gradia, a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope prepared in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, as measured by Themis Z transmission electron microscope and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction.

(6) FIG. 6 is a Raman spectrum of Gradia, a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope prepared in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, as measured by Raman spectrometer.

(7) FIG. 7 is photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Gradia samples prepared in accordance with Examples 4 and 5, as measured by Raman spectrometer.

(8) FIG. 8 shows the electrical resistivity vs. temperature profiles of Gradia samples prepared in accordance with Examples 4 and 5, as measured by Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS).

(9) FIG. 9A-FIG. 9C show indentation images of Gradia samples prepared in accordance with Examples 4-6, after a Knoop hardness test, as measured by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) The present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

(11) As used herein, the articles “a”, “an” and “the” may include plural referents unless otherwise expressly limited to one-referent, or if it would be obvious to a skilled artisan from the context of the sentence that the article referred to a singular referent.

(12) Where a numerical range is disclosed herein, then such a range is continuous, inclusive of both the minimum and maximum values of the range, as well as every value between such minimum and maximum values. Still further, where a range refers to integers, every integer between the minimum and maximum values of such range is included. In addition, where multiple ranges are provided to describe a feature or characteristic, such ranges can be combined. That is to say that, unless otherwise indicated, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass any and all subranges subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of from “1 to 10” should be considered to include any and all subranges between the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10. In addition, every point or individual disclosed herein value may serve as a lower or upper limit combined with any other point or individual value or any other lower or upper limit disclosed herein, to form a range not explicitly recited herein, which range will be covered by the protection scope of the attached claims.

(13) The present disclosure provides an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope (named Gradia), preferably with a space group of 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m), wherein its basic structural unit is composed of sp.sup.2 hybrid graphite-like structural unit and sp.sup.3 hybrid diamond-like structural unit.

(14) The Gradia disclosed in the present disclosure refers to a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon allotrope, which is completely different from other carbon materials in terms of its crystal structure, and is composed of sp.sup.2 hybrid graphite-like structural unit and sp.sup.3 hybrid diamond-like structural unit. Its crystal structure may vary with the widths and/or crystallographic orientation relationships of the internal sp.sup.2 and/or sp.sup.3 structural units.

(15) The present further disclosure provides a process for the preparation of the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope, comprising the steps of:

(16) (1) Loading raw carbon materials into a pre-pressing mold, pre-forming the raw carbon materials into a body by using a press, and then placing it in a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering;

(17) (2) Putting the pre-sintered carbon raw material body as obtained in step (1) into an assembly block, and then putting the assembly block containing the carbon raw material body into a drying box for drying;

(18) (3) Removing the assembly block as obtained in step (2) from the drying box and cooling it (preferably to the room temperature), placing it in a press for high temperature and high pressure treatment, and then carrying out pressure relief operation after cooling;

(19) (4) Removing the assembly block from the press to obtain the sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon allotrope (as a block sample).

(20) In a preferred embodiment, the raw carbon materials comprise any one or several sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon materials such as graphite, fullerene, graphene, carbon nanotubes, glassy carbon, amorphous carbon, onion carbon, carbon black, carbine carbon, graphyne, DLC and other carbon materials containing sp.sup.2 hybridization. Preferably, graphite, fullerene, graphene, and/or carbon nanotubes are used as the raw materials.

(21) In addition, it is desirable to wash the raw materials with an acid solution to remove the impurities present therein, such as silicon (Si), oxygen (O), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H), and the like, as to achieve Gradia products with superior properties. The washed materials need to be cleaned (e.g. with deionized water) and dried before being loaded into the pre-pressing mold.

(22) In a preferred embodiment, the pre-sintering step of step (1) is carried out at a temperature of 400-1800° C. for a period of 10-60 minutes.

(23) In a preferred embodiment, the pre-formed body of step (1) is a cylinder.

(24) In a preferred embodiment, the drying step of step (2) is carried out at a temperature of 100-250° C. for 1-3 h.

(25) In a preferred embodiment, the high temperature and high pressure treatment of step (3) is carried out at a pressure of 5-25 GPa and a temperature of 25-2500° C. for a holding period of 5-120 minutes, in an apparatus e.g. (but not limited to) T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research (USA).

(26) In a preferred embodiment, the novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon material synthesized by the above preparation process has a crystal structure that can be adjusted with the changes of the internal sp.sup.2-hybrid graphite-like structural unit and sp.sup.3-hybrid diamond-like structural unit. In particular, the crystal structure of the novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon can vary with the widths and/or crystallographic orientation relationships of internal sp.sup.2 and sp.sup.3 structural units, which can be controlled by e.g. adjusting the synthesis pressure and temperature used in the preparation process.

(27) In a particularly preferred embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a process for preparing a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon named Gradia, comprising the following steps:

(28) (1) loading raw sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon materials comprising graphite, fullerene, carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbon, or onion carbon into a pre-pressing mold, pre-forming the raw sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon materials into a cylinder raw material body by using a press, and then placing it in a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering wherein the pre-sintering is carried out at a temperature of 400-1800° C. and a pressure e.g. 30-50 MPa for a period of 10-60 min;

(29) (2) Putting the pre-sintered sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon raw material body as obtained in step (1) into an assembly block, and then putting the assembly block containing the sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon raw material body into a drying box for drying wherein the drying is carried out at a temperature of 100-250° C. for 1-3 h;

(30) (3) Removing assembly block as obtained in step (2) from the drying box and cooling it to room temperature, then placing it in a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research, the USA for high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the high temperature and high pressure treatment is carried out at a pressure of 1-25 GPa and a temperature of 25-2500° C. for a holding period of 5-120 min and then carrying out pressure relief operation after cooling;

(31) (4) Removing the assembly block from the press (and disassembling the assembly block surrounding the sintered body sample) to obtain a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia.

(32) The sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystal carbon materials as obtained in embodiments of the present invention, named Gradia, have been analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope, and the obtained spectra are shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. As seen from FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon prepared is composed of sp.sup.2-hybrid graphite-like structural unit and sp.sup.3-hybrid diamond-like structural unit, and thus is named Gradia, as explained above. Through observation by Themis Z transmission electron microscope, it is found that the novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon named Gradia has varied crystal structures (FIG. 1), based on the widths and/or crystallographic orientation relationships of the internal sp.sup.2-hybrid graphite-like structural unit and/or sp.sup.3-hybrid diamond-like structural unit. In particular, Gradia as prepared according to the present invention may be a monocrystal or a polycrystal composed of phases of different monocrystals. It has been found that, Gradia may have three monoclinic crystal structures as shown in FIGS. 2-4, named Gradia-I, Gradia-II, and Gradia-III, respectively.

(33) Based on the widths of the internal sp.sup.2-hybrid graphite-like structural unit and/or sp.sup.3-hybrid diamond-like structural unit, there are three different space group in Gradia-I: 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m). The Gradia-I with space group of 11 (P2.sub.1/m) is shown in FIG. 2. Taking a crystal structure with unit cell of 24 carbon atoms as an example, its lattice constants are a=3.5357 Å, b=2.4740 Å, c=18.5459 Å, β=87.052°. As seen from FIG. 2, Gradia-I is a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon formed by graphite-like structural unit (left part) and diamond-like structural unit (right part) connected with a specific coherent plane, showing the characteristics in FIG. 2. Carbon with this type of coherent plane belongs to Gradia-I (with space group of 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m)).

(34) The space group of Gradia-II is 12 (C2/m), as shown in FIG. 3. Taking a crystal structure with unit cell of 88 carbon atoms as an example, its lattice constants are a=12.5999 Å, b=2.4755 Å, c=18.9818 Å, β=81.787°. As seen from FIG. 3, Gradia-II carbon is a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon formed by graphite-like structural unit (left part) and diamond-like structural unit (right part) with a specific coherent plane, showing the characteristics in FIG. 3. Carbon with this type of coherent plane belongs to Gradia-II with space group of 12 (C2/m).

(35) The space group of Gradia-III is 11 (P2.sub.1/m), as shown in FIG. 4. Taking a crystal structure with unit cell of 88 carbon atoms as an example, its lattice constants are a=6.6401 Å, b=4.1815 Å, c=21.9983 Å, β=88.249°. As seen from FIG. 4, Gradia-III is a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon formed by graphite-like structural unit (left part) and hexagonal diamond-like structural unit (right part) with a specific coherent plane, which shows the characteristics in FIG. 4. Carbon with this type of coherent plane belongs to Gradia-III with space group of 11 (P2.sub.1/m).

(36) Therefore, Gradia as prepared according to the present invention may be a monocrystal with a space group of 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m) or a polycrystal composed of two or more different phases, each of which phases having a space group of 10 (P2/m) or 11 (P2.sub.1/m) or 12 (C2/m).

EXAMPLES

(37) The raw materials used in the examples were all commercially available sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon materials, including graphite, fullerene, graphene, carbon nanotubes, glassy carbon, amorphous carbon, onion carbon, carbon black, carbine carbon, graphyne, DLC and other carbon materials containing sp.sup.2 hybridization.

(38) For the high temperature and high pressure treatments in examples, a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research (USA) was used, and the synthesis pressure and temperature ranges were 1-25 GPa and 25-2500° C., respectively. However, it should be noted that high temperature and high pressure equipment involved in the present disclosure is not limited to the T25 type press, and other high-pressure equipment capable of achieving the corresponding pressure and temperature conditions are likewise suitable for the preparation of Gradia.

Example 1: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Graphite as Raw Carbon Material

(39) (1) Graphite was loaded into a pre-pressing mold, and the pre-pressing process was carried out at a pressure of 20-40 MPa using a press and held for 5-10 minutes to obtain a cylinder body. Then, it was placed into a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering, wherein the pre-sintering temperature was controlled within the range of 1000-1600° C. and the pre-sintering time was controlled within the range of 20-40 min.

(40) (2) The pre-sintered sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon raw material body as obtained in step (1) was put into an assembly block, and then the assembly block containing the sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon raw material body was put into a drying box for drying wherein the drying temperature was 180° C. and the drying time was 2 h.

(41) (3) The assembly block as obtained in step (2) was removed from the drying box and cooled to room temperature, and then was placed into a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research (USA) for high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the synthesis pressure was 5-25 GPa, the synthesis temperature was 600-2500° C. and the holding time was 10-120 min, and then the pressure was relieved after cooling.

(42) (4) The assembly block was removed from the press, thereby a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was obtained.

(43) The resulting product was measured and analyzed. The obtained novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron XRD result demonstrated that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon form of novel structure; and the results from EELS and Raman spectra demonstrated that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon.

Example 2: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Carbon Nanotubes as Raw Carbon Materials

(44) (1) Carbon nanotubes were loaded into a pre-pressing mold, and the pre-pressing process was carried out at a pressure of 30-50 MPa using a press, and held for 5-10 minutes to obtain a cylinder body. Then, it was placed into a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering, wherein the pre-sintering temperature was controlled within the range of 800-1600° C. and the pre-sintering time was controlled within the range of 15-40 min.

(45) (2) The pre-sintered sp.sup.2 hybrid carbon raw material body as obtained in step (1) was put into an assembly block, and then the assembly block containing the carbon nanotube body was put into a drying box for drying wherein the drying temperature was 180° C. and the drying time was 2 h.

(46) (3) The assembly block as obtained in step (2) was removed from the drying box and cooled to room temperature, and then was placed into a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research, USA for high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the synthesis pressure was 7-25 GPa, the synthesis temperature was 1000-1800° C. and the holding time was 15-60 min, and then the pressure was relieved after cooling.

(47) (4) The assembly block was removed from the press, thereby a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was obtained.

(48) The resulting product was measured and analyzed. The obtained novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron XRD result demonstrated that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon form of new structure; and the results from EELS and Raman spectra demonstrated that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon.

Example 3: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Fullerene as Raw Carbon Materials

(49) (1) Fullerene was loaded into a pre-pressing mold, and the pre-pressing process was carried out at a pressure of 20-50 MPa using a press, and held for 5-15 minutes to obtain a cylinder body.

(50) (2) The pre-pressed fullerene body as obtained in step (1) was put into an assembly block, and then the assembly block containing fullerene body was put into a drying box for drying, wherein the drying temperature was 180° C. and the drying time was 2 h.

(51) (3) The assembly block as obtained in step (2) was removed from the drying box and cooled to room temperature, and then was placed into a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research, USA for high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the synthesis pressure was 10-18 GPa, the synthesis temperature was 600-1500° C. and the holding time was 30-120 min, and then the pressure was relieved after cooling.

(52) (4) The assembly block was removed from the press, thereby a novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was obtained.

(53) The resulting product was measured and analyzed. The obtained novel sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid crystalline carbon, i.e. Gradia, was analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron XRD result demonstrated that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon form of new structure; and the results from EELS and Raman spectra demonstrated that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon.

Example 4: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Graphite as Raw Carbon Material

(54) (1) Graphite was put into dilute hydrochloric acid solution to remove impurities. After the graphite was removed from the acid solution, it was rinsed by deionized water and then dried, affording the purified raw material. Then, the raw material was loaded into a pre-pressing mold, and the pre-pressing process was carried out at a pressure of 20 MPa using a press and held for 5 minutes to obtain a cylinder body. Then, it was placed into a vacuum hot-pressing sintering furnace for pre-sintering, wherein the pre-sintering pressure was set to 30 MPa, the pre-sintering temperature was set to 1200° C. and the pre-sintering time was 20 min.

(55) (2) The pre-sintered graphite body as obtained in step (1) was put into an assembly block, and then the assembly block containing the graphite body was put into a drying box for drying wherein the drying temperature was 180° C. and the drying time was 2 h.

(56) (3) The assembly block as obtained in step (2) was removed from the drying box and cooled to room temperature, and then was placed into a T25 type press supplied by Rockland Research (USA) for high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the synthesis pressure was 15 GPa, the synthesis temperature was 1400° C. and the holding time was 60 min, and then the pressure was relieved after cooling.

(57) (4) The assembly block was removed from the press, whereby Gradia was obtained. The Gradia as obtained was polished using a diamond paste.

(58) The resulting product was measured and analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The measurement results are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The synchrotron XRD result (FIG. 5) demonstrates that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon allotrope having a new structure; and the results from EELS (FIG. 5) and Raman spectra (FIG. 6) demonstrate that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon. Crystallographic analysis shows that the Gradia sample as obtained is a polycrystal composed of Gradia-I (with a space group of 11), Gradia-II (with a space group of 12) and Gradia-III (with a space group of 11).

(59) The polished sample of Gradia as obtained was tested by KB-5 BVZ micro-hardness tester to have a Knoop hardness of 65.3±5.3 GPa under 500 g load. The morphology of the indentations formed in the hardness test was observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and shown in FIG. 9a. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the Gradia as prepared were measured by Raman spectrometer and shown in FIG. 7a, with an optical band gap of 1.95 eV. The Gradia as prepared was tested by Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), showing that the electrical resistivity increases with decreasing temperature (FIG. 8). These test results indicate that Gradia is an ultra-hard semiconducting bulk material with low electrical resistivity.

Example 5: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Graphite as Raw Carbon Materials

(60) The steps (1)-(4) of Example 4 were repeated except that the synthesis temperature in step (3) was set to 1600° C.

(61) The resulting product was measured and analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The measurement results are similar to that of Example 4. The synchrotron XRD result demonstrates that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon allotrope having a new structure; and the results from EELS and Raman spectra demonstrate that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon.

(62) The Gradia as obtained was tested by KB-5 BVZ micro-hardness tester to have a Knoop hardness of 81.3±3.5 GPa under 500 g load. The morphology of the indentations formed in the hardness test was observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and shown in FIG. 9b. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the Gradia as prepared were measured by Raman spectrometer and shown in FIG. 7b, with an optical band gap of 2.02 eV. The Gradia as prepared was tested by Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), showing that the electrical resistivity increases with decreasing temperature (FIG. 8). These test results indicate that Gradia is an ultra-hard semiconducting bulk material with low electrical resistivity.

Example 6: Preparation of Gradia Using sp.SUP.2 .Hybrid Graphite as Raw Carbon Materials

(63) The steps (1)-(4) of Example 4 were repeated except that the pre-sintering pressure and the pre-sintering temperature were set to 50 MPa and 1400° C., respectively in step (1) and the synthesis temperature was set to 2100° C. in step (3).

(64) The resulting product was measured and analyzed through hard X-ray micro-focusing beamline (BL15U1) from Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), LabRAM HREvolution Raman spectrometer from Horiba JY, France, and Themis Z transmission electron microscope. The measurement results are similar to that of Example 4. The synchrotron XRD result demonstrates that the synthesized Gradia is a carbon allotrope having a new structure; and the results from EELS and Raman spectra demonstrate that it is an sp.sup.2-sp.sup.3 hybrid carbon.

(65) The Gradia as obtained was tested by KB-5 BVZ micro-hardness tester to have a Knoop hardness of 192.1±19.3 GPa under 500 g load. The morphology of the indentations formed in the hardness test was observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and shown in FIG. 9c.

(66) Certain embodiments are described herein, including preferred embodiments known to the inventors, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Of course, equivalent variations on these described embodiments based on structure, shape, principle and the like will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description and will be covered by the scope of the attached claims.

(67) The present disclosure enumerates alternative materials for each component. It is to be understood that the recited list serves only as a representative group and should not be interpreted as an exclusive list. Other materials not mentioned in the disclosure may be used for achieving the purpose of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments. Thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative embodiments may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.

(68) In addition, every point or individual value may serve as its own lower or upper limit combined with any other point or individual value or any other lower or upper limit, to recite a range not explicitly recited, which range will be covered by the protection scope of the attached claims. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is contemplated as falling into the protection scope of the attached claims.