Nanodiamonds physical properties

Physical properties Nanodiamond stands out for its great hardness and surface conductivity, for field emission characteristics and for the possible fluorescence of defect centers. Spectroscopic examinations revealed both the band structure and the structural properties. 

The physical properties of diamond films largely correspond to those of the macroscopic material. The only significant differences to bulk diamond arise from surface defects and from a possible doping. The spectroscopic properties are employed to characterize the diamond films obtained, to evaluate their quality and, where applicable, to identify defects and impurities. In the following, the main attention will be directed just to those features differing from the bulk properties of diamond. Further aspects are also discussed in Section 5.4 on the physical properties of nanodiamond that shares some characteristics with the so-called ultrananocrystalline diamond in particular. 

Gupta, S. and J. Farmer, Multiwalled carbon nanotubes and dispersed nanodiamond novel hybrids Microscopic structure evolution, physical properties, and radiation resilience. J. Appl. Phys. 2011,109(1), 014314-014314-15. 

Altogether the thermal transformation of nanodiamond turned out a suitable method to prepare macroscopic amounts of onion-like carbon. It is true that the products obtained are inhomogeneous to some extent and that the resulting onions show various deficiencies (defects, deviations from spherical shape), but still the heating of diamond in vacuo constitutes the best method to date to generate larger amounts of carbon onions and study in principle their physical and chemical properties. 

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. 

A.-Y. Jee, and M. Lee, Thermal and mechanical properties of alkyl-functionalized nanodiamond composites. Current Applied Physics, 11 (5), 1183-1187, 2011. 

H.A. Girard, T. Petit, S. Perruchas, T. Gacoin, C. Gesset, J.C. Arnault, et al.. Surface properties of hydrogenated nanodiamonds A chemical investigation. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 13 (24), 11517-11523, 2011. 

Daulton, T.L., Nanodiamonds in the cosmos microstmctural and trapped elements isotopic data, in Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond, Gmen, D., Shenderova, O., Vul A.Ya., eds., NATO Science Series II Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Springer, Dordrecht, 192, 49, 2005. 

Due to its unique physicochemical characteristics, diamond is widely used in industry. Interest in fabrication of artificial diamond crystals, specifically, those obtained by detonation transformation of explosives, was already evinced in the 1940s. Attention was paid to the fact that thermodynamic conditions for the existence of carbon as diamond crystals are realized in the zone of the detonation complex. Nanodiamond powder synthesis and the properties of synthesized materials were studied in numerous works performed at various research centers [1-11]. In subsequent decades, many attempts were undertaken to develop detonation diamond technology. One of these technologies was developed and patented by the Russian Federal Nuclear Center-Zababakhin All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Physics (RFNC-VNIITF). 

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