Historical Background to the Discovery of Nanodiamonds

Nanodiamond as such is not really a new material. Indeed, essential experiments on the production of nanoscale diamond crystallites have already been performed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. No later than 1959, DeCarh and Jamieson found that tiny diamond crystalHtes could be obtained from the action of a shock wave on graphitic material. The procedure was patented in the 1960s, and from that time on, the DuPont Corp. has been producing about 2 million karat of synthetic diamond per year in this manner (Section 5.3.2). 

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The research on nanodiamond has by now developed into a multifaceted and very active field with the main interest focusing on the physical and chemical properties. Numerous applications have already been realized, and further dynamic development can be envisaged once it becomes possible to examine and modify individual nanodiamond particles. 

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