Conversion of diamond clusters from a polymer by Nd:YAG pulsed laser (532 nm) irradiation

The phenylcarbyne polymer possesses a diamond-like structure. It is soluble in organic solvents and can easily form thin films on various substrates. Because of its special structure, this polymer can be converted into diamond-like carbon phases at atmospheric pressure by thermal decomposition. Here, we report on the growth of diamond films at room temperature by pulsed laser irradiation (Nd-YAG laser, 532 nm) of a polymer precursor in an argon atmosphere. The structures of films were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, which confirms the conversion of this polymer to diamond by the presence of a diamond characteristic peak at 1330 cm(-1). The morphologies of the resulting samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEN). The mechanism of diamond phase conversion from the polymer is discussed. It is proposed that the conversion to diamond phases may be related to the special diamond-like structure of the polymer, with the laser providing an efficient thermal source. The advantages of this method are simplicity, ease of operation, high efficiency, low-temperature deposition, low cast, and suitability to various substrates. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.