Shock synthesis, nanodiamond

Depending on the method of their preparation, the individual nanodiamond particles do not exist as isolated crystallites, but they form tightly bound agglomerates. Apart from unordered sp - and sp -hybridized carbon, they may also include other impurities. The latter may originate either from synthesis or purification, for example, finely dispersed material from the reactor walls may contaminate the sample (Section 5.3). This is especially true for material produced by the detonation or shock wave method, whereas hydrogen-terminated diamond nanoparticles do not show this effect. 

As discussed in Section 5.2.2, nanodiamond particles produced by detonation or shock wave synthesis exhibit a primary surface functionalization right from the preparation. It comprises a multitude of different groups, so it should be possible to make use of these functional groups. To ensure a reproducible quality of the secondary products obtained, however, a homogenization of the primary functionalities is required. There are several strategies to achieve this (Figure 5.29). 

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