Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) diamond has aroused remarkable interest in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics, owing to its superior properties and flexible characteristics compared to bulk diamond. Despite significant efforts, great challenges lie in the experimental synthesis and transformation conditions of 2D diamond. Herein, we have demonstrated the experimental preparation of high quality 2D diamond with controlled thickness and distinguished properties, realized by laser-heating few-layer graphene in a diamond anvil cell. The quenched 2D diamond exhibited a narrow T2g Raman peak (linewidth ~3.6 cm−1) and intense photoluminescence of SiV- (linewidth ~6.1 nm) and NV0 centers. In terms of transformation mechanism, atomic structures of hybrid phase interfaces suggested …
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) diamond has aroused remarkable interest in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics, owing to its superior properties and flexible characteristics compared to bulk diamond. Despite significant efforts, great challenges lie in the experimental synthesis and transformation conditions of 2D diamond. Herein, we have demonstrated the experimental preparation of high quality 2D diamond with controlled thickness and distinguished properties, realized by laser-heating few-layer graphene in a diamond anvil cell. The quenched 2D diamond exhibited a narrow T2g Raman peak (linewidth ~3.6 cm−1) and intense photoluminescence of SiV- (linewidth ~6.1 nm) and NV0 centers. In terms of transformation mechanism, atomic structures of hybrid phase interfaces suggested that the intermediate rhombohedral phase subtly mediate hexagonal graphite to cubic diamond transition. Furthermore, the tunable optical bandgap and thermal stability of 2D diamond sensitively depend on its sp3 concentration. We believe our results can shed light on the structural design and preparation of many carbon allotropes and further uncover the underlying transition mechanism.
Data availability
The Source Data underlying the figures of this study are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29610476. All raw data generated during the current study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants numbers 52472040 (Y.C.), 52072032 (Y.C.), and 12090031 (Y.C.)), and the 173 JCJQ Program (Grant No. 2021-JCJQ-JJ-0159 (Y.C.)). Y.C. and J.L. thank the helpful discussions with Dr. L.X. Yang (HPSTAR) on the laser-heating system.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
School of Interdisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Jiayin Li, Guoshuai Du, Wuxiao Han, Jiaxin Ming, Shang Chen, Pengcheng Zhao, Lu Bai, Jiaohui Yan, Yubing Du, Ke Jin & Yabin Chen 1.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Jiayin Li, Jiaxin Ming & Lu Bai 1.
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Guoshuai Du, Wuxiao Han, Pengcheng Zhao & Yubing Du 1.
State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Lili Zhao & Weigao Xu 1.
Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai, China
Jiajia Feng, Hongliang Dong & Bin Chen 1.
State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Safety Protection, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Jianguo Zhang 1.
Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), Zhuhai, China
Yabin Chen
Authors
- Jiayin Li
- Guoshuai Du
- Lili Zhao
- Wuxiao Han
- Jiaxin Ming
- Shang Chen
- Pengcheng Zhao
- Lu Bai
- Jiaohui Yan
- Yubing Du
- Jiajia Feng
- Hongliang Dong
- Ke Jin
- Weigao Xu
- Bin Chen
- Jianguo Zhang
- Yabin Chen
Contributions
Y.C. and J.L. conceived this research project and designed the experiments. J.L., W.H., P.Z., L.B., and Y.D. prepared the graphene samples on Re substrate. J.L., G.D., J.F., H.D., and K.J. performed the HPHT synthesis of 2D diamond samples and their Raman and HRTEM characterizations. J.L., L.Z., W.X., S.C., and J.Y. attributed to the absorption measurements. G.D., J.M., B.C., and J.Z. provided technical support for the construction of laser-heated DAC system. J.L. and Y.C. wrote the manuscript with the essential input of other co-authors. All authors have given approval of the final manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Correspondence to Jianguo Zhang or Yabin Chen.
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Li, J., Du, G., Zhao, L. et al. Experimental demonstration and transformation mechanism of quenchable two-dimensional diamond. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-68005-8
Received: 19 March 2025
Accepted: 15 December 2025
Published: 08 January 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-68005-8