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Are small diamonds thermodynamically stable in the interstellar medium?

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Abstract

Very small diamond particles (50 Å diameter) are shown to be thermodynamically stable with respect to similar sized graphite particles for reasonable values of the surface free energies of diamond and graphite. Small diamonds are likely to be stable against both thermal evaporation and chemical attack in the general interstellar medium. A few of the consequences of these conclusions are examined.

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  1. Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    Joseph A. Nuth III

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  1. Joseph A. Nuth III
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Nuth, J.A. Are small diamonds thermodynamically stable in the interstellar medium?. Astrophys Space Sci 139, 103–109 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00643816

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00643816

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