Department of Structural Research

Fundamental studies

• Fundamental studies of materials in extreme conditions – under high pressure and shear deformation: phase transitions and nanosized structure formation.
• Research of optical properties of diamonds, including diamonds doped with boron and nitrogen.

Applied studies

• Investigations of the optical and structural properties of diamonds and carbon nanostructures.
• Certifi cation of synthetic and natural diamonds.
• Nanolithography on a diamond surface with pattern height of few tens of nanometers.

Experimental techniques

• Vibrational spectroscopy:
  • Raman scattering;
  • IR-Fourier spectroscopy in transmission and reflection.
• Electronic spectroscopy:
  • Photoluminescence;
  • Absorption in the UV - visible - near infrared;
  • Electronic Raman scattering.
• Optical studies at low and high temperatures (5 – 700 K).
• X-ray diff ractometry and topography.
• Transmission electron microscopy on the JEM-2010 microscope with element analysis employing energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) unit.

Shear diamond anvil cells with electric drive developed and produced by TISNCM		Anvils are made of synthetic diamonds synthesized by TISNCM

Recent achievements and scientific results of the laboratory
The carbon onions were synthesized from graphite in a diamond anvil cell under a high pressure and shear deformation treatment. Raman scattering experiment revealed a fullerene-type structure of the created carbon onions.
Evolution of electronic Raman spectra of boron clusters in diamond crystals doped with boron, depending on the concentration of boron Electron transitions between the acceptor levels of boron clusters in boron-doped diamond were discovered for the first time.

Raman frequency shift, cm-1		Raman frequency shift, cm-1		The scheme of acceptor levels of boron clusters in boron-doped diamond

Twin in a silicon nanoparticle		Fluorinated single-wall nanotube