A commercially more economical procedure is to substitute a mixture of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 for pure C.sub.60, and the same results can be achieved. The seed crystal is disposed on a heater button or platform with power supplied by a separate power supply. The vessel is then placed in a furnace and heated in the furnace to a temperature of 500.degree.-700.degree. The diamond seed crystal is heated by the separate power supply to 1000.degree.-1200.degree. In the vapor phase, charge transfer from the alkali metal atoms to C.sub.60 produces C.sub.60.sup.- which converts to diamond epitaxially on the seed crystal.
Growth is continued until the diamond crystal has reached the desired size.
In a further form of the invention positive or negative ions of C.sub.60, C.sub.70 or higher fullerenes or mixtures of fullerenes are produced in a conventional ion source. A means is provided for electrostatically accelerating the ions to kilovolt energies. A variety of commercially available ion sources, including ion implanters, can be used for this purpose. Bombardment of surfaces covered with diamond nuclei or fullerene coatings with fullerene ions having energies from about 250 eV to about 2.5 KeV results in the formation of diamond films. Bombardment of surfaces, and particularly refractory metal surfaces, such as tungsten, with fullerene ions having energies from about 2.5 keV to at least about 250 MeV results in implantation of carbon and the formation of surface or subsurface carbides.