Cutting elements and earth-boring tools including a polycrystalline diamond material
Methods of forming polycrystalline diamond include encapsulating diamond particles and a hydrocarbon substance in a canister, and subjecting the encapsulated diamond particles and hydrocarbon substance to a pressure and a temperature sufficient to form inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles. Cutting elements for use in an earth-boring tool include a polycrystalline diamond material formed by such processes. Earth-boring tools include such cutting elements.
1. A cutting element for use in an earth-boring tool, the cutting element comprising:
a substrate; and
a polycrystalline diamond material secured to the substrate, the polycrystalline diamond material comprising diamond particles having direct diamond-to-diamond inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles, the direct diamond-to-diamond inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles comprising in situ deposited carbon atoms between the diamond particles, the carbon atoms dissociated from a hydrocarbon substance used during exposure of the diamond particles and the hydrocarbon substance to high pressure, high temperature conditions during formation of the direct diamond-to-diamond inter-granular bonds, at least one surface of the polycrystalline diamond material comprising hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline diamond originated from the hydrocarbon substance.
2. The cutting element of claim 1 ,
wherein the diamond particles comprise a first group of diamond grains having a mean diameter larger than a mean diameter of a second group of diamond grains.
3. The cutting element of claim 1 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond material comprises interspersed and interbonded diamond grains that form a three-dimensional network of diamond material.
4. The cutting element of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the direct diamond-to-diamond inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles comprise carbon atoms dissociated from a liquid hydrocarbon substance selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane, and octane.
5. The cutting element of claim 1 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond material comprises reaction products of catalyst materials and hydrogen from a liquid hydrocarbon used to form the polycrystalline diamond material.
6. An earth-boring tool, comprising:
a bit body; and
inter-granular bonds between at least one cutting element secured to the bit body, the at least one cutting element comprising a polycrystalline diamond material comprising diamond particles formed by encapsulating the diamond particles with a hydrocarbon substance in a canister and subjecting the encapsulated diamond particles and the hydrocarbon substance to a pressure of at least 5.0 GPa and a temperature of at least 1,400° C. to form inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles, the inter-granular bonds comprising in situ deposited carbon atoms between the diamond particles, the carbon atoms dissociated from the hydrocarbon substance, at least one surface of the polycrystalline diamond material comprising hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline diamond, the hydrogen originating from the hydrocarbon substance.
7. The earth-boring tool of claim 6 , wherein the earth-boring tool comprises an earth-boring rotary drill bit.
8. The earth-boring tool of claim 6 , wherein the at least one cutting element further comprises a substrate, and wherein the polycrystalline diamond material is secured to the substrate.
9. The earth-boring tool of claim 6 , wherein the at least one cutting element is brazed within a pocket of the bit body.
10. The earth-boring tool of claim 6 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond material is secured to a substrate.
11. The earth-boring tool of claim 6 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond comprises interspersed and interbonded diamond grains that form a three-dimensional network of diamond material.
12. The cutting element of claim 6 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond material comprises reaction products of catalyst materials and hydrogen from a liquid hydrocarbon used to form the polycrystalline diamond material.
13. A cutting element for use in an earth-boring tool, the cutting element comprising a polycrystalline diamond material formed by a method comprising:
encapsulating diamond particles and a hydrocarbon substance having a ratio of carbon atoms to hydrogen atoms from about 1:3 to about 1:4 in a canister; and
after encapsulating the diamond particles and the hydrocarbon substance in the canister, subjecting the encapsulated diamond particles and the hydrocarbon substance to a pressure of at least 5.0 GPa and a temperature of at least 1,400° C. to form a polycrystalline diamond material including a plurality of direct diamond-to-diamond inter-granular bonds between the diamond particles, the inter-granular bonds comprising in situ deposited carbon atoms originating from the hydrocarbon substance during the subjecting the encapsulated diamond particles and the hydrocarbon substance to a pressure of at least 5.0 GPa and a temperature of at least 1,400° C., wherein at least one surface of the polycrystalline diamond material comprises hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline diamond.
14. The cutting element of claim 13 , further comprising selecting the hydrocarbon substance to comprise a hydrated hydrocarbon.
15. The cutting element of claim 14 , further comprising selecting the hydrated hydrocarbon to comprise methane hydrate and ethane hydrate.
16. The cutting element of claim 13 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond comprises interspersed and interbonded diamond grains that form a three-dimensional network of diamond material.