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Peer-reviewedCC BYNature communications

Towards a quantitative description of nanostructured order in amorphous diamond-like carbon.

  • Alan G Salek1
  • Hendrik Heimes2
  • Ethan P Turner3
  • Edwin L H Mayes4
  • Rebekka Klemmt5
  • Jessica Wierbik2
  • Xingshuo Huang2
  • William R Dunstan1
  • Krysta-Leigh Douglass1
  • Ryan Hogg1
  • Nigel A Marks3
  • Espen D Bøjesen5
3 more authors
  • Jodie E Bradby2
  • Dougal G McCulloch1,4
  • Andrew V Martin6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Physics, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia.
  2. 2Department of Materials Physics, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Acton, 2601, ACT, Australia.
  3. 3Curtin University, Wark Ave, Bentley, 6102, Western Australia, Australia.
  4. 4RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia.
  5. 5Center for Sustainable Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
  6. 6Department of Physics, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia. [email protected].
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Abstract

Our knowledge of crystals rests on precisely measured structural models, which are lacking for amorphous matter. Without long-range order, the available experimental evidence matches competing structural models, including paracrystalline and random network models, limiting our understanding of formation mechanisms and properties. This impedes discovery of new amorphous materials, including high-density sp³-rich carbons, among the hardest known. We show that the pair-angle distribution function (PADF) overcomes these limitations, applying it to a non-crystalline sp³-rich carbon produced by compression of fullerenes at room temperature. The PADF reveals that this phase contains nanostructures with distinct short-range (4th-5th neighbours, < 5 Å) and medium-range (5-10 Å) order. The nanostructure planes and angles relate to diamond, suggesting coordinated diamond-like tetrahedra too disordered to be nanodiamonds. The characterisation of nanoscale disorder via the PADF thus offers insight into the nature of structural order in amorphous materials and the formation pathways of diamond-like materials.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{salek2026towards,
  title = {{Towards a quantitative description of nanostructured order in amorphous diamond-like carbon.}},
  author = {Alan G Salek and Hendrik Heimes and Ethan P Turner and Edwin L H Mayes and Rebekka Klemmt and Jessica Wierbik and Xingshuo Huang and William R Dunstan and Krysta-Leigh Douglass and Ryan Hogg and Nigel A Marks and Espen D Bøjesen and Jodie E Bradby and Dougal G McCulloch and Andrew V Martin},
  journal = {Nature communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77822-4},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897189},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Towards a quantitative description of nanostructured order in amorphous diamond-like carbon.
AU  - Alan G Salek
AU  - Hendrik Heimes
AU  - Ethan P Turner
AU  - Edwin L H Mayes
AU  - Rebekka Klemmt
AU  - Jessica Wierbik
AU  - Xingshuo Huang
AU  - William R Dunstan
AU  - Krysta-Leigh Douglass
AU  - Ryan Hogg
AU  - Nigel A Marks
AU  - Espen D Bøjesen
AU  - Jodie E Bradby
AU  - Dougal G McCulloch
AU  - Andrew V Martin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
JO  - Nature communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-77822-4
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897189
AB  - Our knowledge of crystals rests on precisely measured structural models, which are lacking for amorphous matter. Without long-range order, the available experimental evidence matches competing structural models, including paracrystalline and random network models, limiting our understanding of formation mechanisms and properties. This impedes discovery of new amorphous materials, including high-density sp³-rich carbons, among the hardest known. We show that the pair-angle distribution function (PADF) overcomes these limitations, applying it to a non-crystalline sp³-rich carbon produced by compression of fullerenes at room temperature. The PADF reveals that this phase contains nanostructures with distinct short-range (4th-5th neighbours, < 5 Å) and medium-range (5-10 Å) order. The nanostructure planes and angles relate to diamond, suggesting coordinated diamond-like tetrahedra too disordered to be nanodiamonds. The characterisation of nanoscale disorder via the PADF thus offers insight into the nature of structural order in amorphous materials and the formation pathways of diamond-like materials.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -