C60 nanowhiskers fabricated by liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation method and pristine C60 powder were sintered at 800 °C under 5.5 GPa for 2 h. The specimens showed high micro-Vickers hardness about 1100 kg/mm2 and electrical resistivity as low as several Ωm. Structural characterization by x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that most of C60 molecules were broken to form turbostratic graphite by high-pressure and high-temperature treatment. Comparison with the pristine C60 powder sintered under the same conditions suggests that the structural change depends microscopically on the C60 molecules, but the size and the morphology of the starting material also affect the macroscopic sintering process.

Structural, mechanical, and electrical properties were examined for C60 whiskers, high-pressure sintered C60 whiskers, and C60 powder. A high density of dislocations was observed in the C60 whiskers, and the C60 whiskers with diameters of a few hundred nanometers were found to be flexible. Although both the specimens sintered under the same condition showed similar surface x-ray diffraction profiles with a strong accumulation of [110]tr orientation, the sintered C60 whiskers showed a higher micro-Vickers hardness and an electrical resistivity four orders of magnitude lower than that of the sintered C60 powder.

B6O crystal growth from the B–B2O3 system was investigated at 1700–2200 °C and 4.5–6.5 GPa by using two different sample assemblies. Single B6O crystals over 100 μm in size have been synthesized at 5.5 GPa and 2100 °C. This makes it possible to study the properties of this interesting material. The factors affecting the B6O crystal morphology, size, color, and growth process were discussed. The solubility of B6O in B2O3 flux was estimated at 5.5 GPa and different temperatures. On the basis of the experimental results, we suggest two methods to grow large B6O crystals.

The sintering behavior of cBN powder with various particle sizes from 0.5 to 12 µm was investigated when sintered at temperatures from 1500 to 2500 °C and pressure of 7.7 GPa without additives. Above 2000 °C, translucent sintered bodies were obtained. Microstructure observation indicated that the optimum sintering temperature was near 2350 °C for fine powders of 0.5 to 1.2 µm and 2 to 4 µm, and slightly higher than 2350 °C for powders from 8 to 12 µm. The fracture toughness of the well-sintered bodies decreased with grain growth above the optimum sintering temperature.