A new carbon modification: 'n-diamond' or face-centred cubic carbon?

A new carbon modification having a face-centred cubic (fcc) structure has been obtained as a result of the transformation of a diamond surface during treatment in hydrogen plasma. The calculated density of electronic states of the fee carbon phase provides evidence that it is a metallic form of carbon. The experimentally obtained crystal lattice parameter of the fee carbon phase is found to be 0.3563 nm, which is close to that computed by the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) method. The fee carbon phase has a characteristic edge offset in the electron energy loss spectrum distinguishing it from diamond, amorphous carbon and graphite. Here we show for the first time clear evidence for the existence of a carbon phase with the fee crystal structure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.