Nanocatalytic conversion of CO2 into nanodiamonds

Carbon dioxide was converted into Li2CO3 nano-single crystals with particle sizes below 30 nm using a reactive LiCl-Li2O molten salt method. The Li2CO3 nanocrystals were then in-situ encapsulated into carbon layers. Upon heating of the core-shell nanostructured carbon material, the nucleation of diamond crystallites within the nanostructure of carbon encapsulated Li2CO3 was demonstrated by high resolution transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry. The diamond crystallites could grow to micrometer-sized octahedral crystals by a further heating. These findings are of significance since they give insight into low-pressure nanocatalytic diamond nucleation and may also provide economic motivations towards the reduction of CO2 emissions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.