Structure of the dispersive medium and sedimentation resistance of suspensions of detonation nanodiamonds

The specific features of the stabilization of suspensions formed by detonation nanodiamonds in polar and nonpolar media are investigated. It is demonstrated that the polydispersity of nanodiamond particles in an aqueous medium periodically changes in an ultrasonic field. The conditions are determined under which the optimum dispersity can be maintained for a long time. A technique is devised for chemical modification of the nanodiamond surface through the grafting of organosilyl groups. This technique makes it possible to prepare finely dispersed suspensions of nanodiamonds in nonpolar organic media. A model is proposed for an aggregate that consists of detonation nanodiamond particles and is stabilized through hydrogen bonds formed by functional groups of different types.     

Synthesis,properties, and applications of fractionated nanodiamonds

The methods for dispersing nanodiamond powders of different purity grades and preparing nanodiamond powder suspensions suitable for fractionation are analyzed. The main physicochemical properties of fractions separated from the synthesis products (blends) and purified nanodiamonds are investigated. It is found that the size distribution of nanodiamonds in the blend is inhomogeneous: an increase in the particle size leads to a decrease in the fraction of these particles. The advantages of nanodiamonds fractionated in size are demonstrated for different applications.     

Infrared Reflectance and Emissivity Spectra of Nanodiamonds

Nanosized diamonds obtained by detonation of explosives are the subject of active studies in several scientific and technological fields. Besides their interesting peculiarities for solid-state physics studies, their presence in various circumstellar environments has been inferred from infrared (IR) spectra. Nanodiamonds are unique materials, allowing investigation of size-dependent properties of matter. We report measurements of IR properties of detonation nanodiamonds in reflectance at room temperature and in emissivity in a dedicated setup at temperatures up to 873 K. The spectra are characterized by the presence of sharp bands due to surface-bound functional groups. Thermal desorption of oxygen-containing groups leads to corresponding spectral changes. The maximal emissivity of nanodiamond powder reaches 0.985.     

Surface chemistry of nanodiamonds

The experimental data available in the literature and the results obtained by the author in research into the structure of nanodiamonds and the physicochemical and chemical properties of their surface are generalized. An account is given of the problems concerning the chemical state and modification of the nanodiamond surface in gaseous and liquid media and the infiuence of modification on the sorption and catalytic properties of nanodiamonds, their compactibility, and sintering. The similarity and difference in the behavior of nanodiamonds and diamond macrocrystals in oxidation processes are discussed. The activation energies of oxidation of nanodiamonds by different reagents are determined in the absence and presence of catalysts.     

Selective inhibition of the oxidation of nanodiamonds for their cleaning

The effect of selective inhibition of nanodiamond oxidation upon heating of detonation carbon in air is used to extract nanodiamonds from the detonation products. The methods for cleaning nanodiamonds from nondiamond carbon modifications are described depending on the synthesis conditions.     

Improving the performance of conventional glass fiber epoxy matrix composites by incorporating nanodiamonds

Multiscale glass fiber epoxy matrix composites containing nanodiamonds were fabricated using vacuum bagging technique. Three different loadings of nanodiamonds were incorporated in epoxy resin after their functionalization through ozone-treatment, i.e., 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt%. The functionalization of nanodiamonds was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, which improved the dispersion of nanodiamond in epoxy resin thus improving the mechanical properties. Tensile, compression, flexural and interlaminar shear properties of the composites were improved. The tensile, compression and flexural strengths improved up to 36, 56 and 30% by the addition of 0.5 wt% nanodiamonds while the corresponding moduli increased to 30, 125 and 46%, respectively. An improvement of 38% in interlaminar shear strength was observed. The microscopy of the composites was performed using optical and electron microscopy and proper impregnation of glass fibers and the absence of the agglomerates of nanodiamonds were ensured. The homogeneous dispersion of nanodiamonds and their adhering role at fiber/matrix interface improved the mechanical properties of the composites. The developed composites are ideal candidate materials for engineering applications demanding high specific mechanical properties.     

Efficient production of NV colour centres in nanodiamonds using high-energy electron irradiation

Nanodiamond powders with an average size of 50 nm have been irradiated using high-energy electron beam. After annealing and chemical treatment, nanodiamond colloidal solutions were obtained and deposited on silica coverslips by spin-coating. The fluorescence of nanodiamonds was studied by confocal microscopy together with atomic force microscopy. We evaluated the proportion of luminescent nanodiamonds as a function of the irradiation duration and showed that large quantities, exceeding hundreds of mg, of luminescent nanodiamonds can be produced within 1 h of electron irradiation.     

Experimental study of electric discharge treatment of nanodiamond particles in water

A novel type of high voltage pulsed electric discharge in water flow in a Venturi tube is proposed. The influence of the novel discharge on sizes and properties of nanodiamond particles has been studied. Experiments were carried out in water media with purified detonation nanodiamonds made impure by non-diamond carbon material. The ability of high voltage pulsed electric discharge in water to modify nanoparticle conglomerates in water solution and to relieve spherically shaped nanodiamond conglomerates from the initial mixture with non-diamond material can be seen. Prolonged treatment of the suspension made it possible to relieve primary nanodiamond crystals from conglomerates. Formation of ordered and unordered structures from primary (3?C5 nm) nanodiamond crystals has been observed. Study of the electric discharge in water was carried out at the pressure region from atmospheric down to 0.02 atm to reproduce conditions which are typical for the discharge in the Venturi tube in liquid flow and different gap lengths. Two ??types?? of discharge behavior depending on the geometry of the discharge system and other external parameters have been observed. Characteristics that are critical for understanding the behavior of the discharge in the Venturi tube in water flow have been investigated.     

Specific features of the structure of detonation nanodiamonds from results of electron microscopy investigations

The experimental results of a comprehensive investigation of the structure of detonation synthesis nanodiamonds by electron microscopy methods have been presented. The morphology of diamond nanoparticles has been investigated and the microdiffraction patterns have been analyzed. The method of characteristic fast electron energy loss spectroscopy in transmission electron microscopy has been used. The local density of structural components of a nanodiamond (diamond core and fullerene-like shell) has been obtained. The shape of the shell surrounding the nanocrystal has been determined using model calculations. A hypothesis explaining the charging of the nanodiamond surface has been proposed.     

Not All Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Are Created Equal: A Comparative Study

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are vital to many emerging nanotechnological applications, from bioimaging and sensing to quantum nanophotonics. Yet, understanding and engineering the properties of fluorescent defects in nanodiamonds remain challenging. The most comprehensive study to date is presented, of the optical and physical properties of five different nanodiamond samples, in which fluorescent nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers are created using different fabrication techniques. The FNDs' fluorescence spectra, lifetime, and spin relaxation time (T₁) are investigated via single‐particle confocal fluorescence microscopy and in ensemble measurements in solution (T₁ excepted). Particle sizes and shapes are determined using scanning electron microscopy and correlated with the optical results. Statistical tests are used to explore correlations between the properties of individual particles and also analyze average results to directly compare different fabrication techniques. Spectral unmixing is used to quantify the relative NV charge‐state (NV^? and NV⁰) contributions to the overall fluorescence. A strong variation is found and quantified in the properties of individual particles within all analyzed samples and significant differences between the different particle types. This study is an important contribution toward understanding the properties of NV centers in nanodiamonds. It motivates new approaches to the improved engineering of NV‐containing nanodiamonds for future applications.     

Applications of nanodiamonds for separation and purification of proteins

Recombinant apoobelin and recombinant luciferase are separated from bacterial cells of Escherichia coli with the use of detonation nanodiamonds. The application of nanodiamonds has a number of points in its favor, namely, (i) simplifies the procedures for purifying the proteins, (ii) decreases the time of their separation to 30–40 min, (iii) eliminates the necessity of using special chromatographic equipment, and (iv) makes it possible to prepare high-purity apoobelin and luciferase materials with protein yields of 35–45 and 45–60%, respectively. The possible mechanisms of interaction of protein molecules and nanodiamond particles are analyzed.     

Gas-phase growth of silicon-doped luminescent diamond films and isolated nanocrystals

A method of controlled diamond doping, consisting in introducing a solid-state silicon source into a CVD reactor chamber is proposed and implemented. Such an approach is tested during diamond film and isolated nanocrystallite growth on silicon, molybdenum, sapphire, copper, and quartz substrates. The approach to nanodiamond doping with silicon during CVD synthesis, developed in this paper, is promising for developing stable highly efficient luminescent nanodiamonds.     

Photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy of single diamond nanoparticle

The article reports techniques that we have devised for immobilizing and allocating a single nanodiamond on the electron beam (E-beam) lithography patterned semiconductor substrate. By combining the E-beam patterned smart substrate with the high throughput of a confocal microscope, we are able to overcome the limitation of the spatial resolution of optical techniques (~1 μm) to obtain the data on individual nano-object with a size range between 100 and 35 nm. We have observed a broad photoluminescence centered at about 700 nm from a single nanodiamond which is due to the defects, vacancies in the nanodiamonds, and the disordered carbon layer covered on the nanodiamond surface. We also observe red-shift in energy and broadening in linewidth of the sp³ bonding Raman peak when the size of the single nanodiamond is reduced due to the phonon-confinement effects.     

Features of the transformation of detonation nanodiamonds into onion-like carbon nanoparticles

On the basis of the results of investigations carried out by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, a scheme for the transformation of detonation nanodiamonds (which are agglomerates of smaller particles) into onion-like carbon nanoparticles during vacuum annealing is verified. At high temperatures, the transition of an individual nanodiamond occurs in a short period of time and may proceed via an amorphous state.     

Optical properties of nanodiamond suspensions

The optical properties of nanodiamond suspensions have been calculated. The main supposition is that carbon dimers, which in many aspects are analogous to Pandey chains (2 × 1) on the surface of bulk diamond, are formed on the surface of nanodiamonds due to the surface reconstruction. All experimentally observed features of the absorption of nanodiamond suspensions have been explained on the basis of these ideas. Whereas the diamond nucleus does not absorb light in the visible spectral range, dimers on the surface of the diamond core absorb light in the entire range of optical wavelengths. In addition, there are two features at energies close to 1.5 and 5 eV in their absorption spectrum.     

From nanodiamond to diamond nanowires: structural properties affected by dimension

Although production of nanowires from various materials is proving very successful, the development of diamond nanowires has been slow. However, a significant amount of successful research has been conducted regarding zero-dimensional nanodiamond crystals, which may offer a basis for the development of one-dimensional diamond nanostructures. Observations of the structural transitions between nanodiamonds into carbon onions inevitably lead to questions as to whether a similar transformation occurs in one dimension and, if so, how it may be avoided. Presented here are ab initio investigations of dehydrogenated nanodiamond crystals and analogous diamond nanowires, to examine how the additional dimension effects structural properties.     

金刚石纳米颗粒中氮空位色心的电子自旋研究

通过电子注入的方法制备了含氮空位色心单光子源的金刚石荧光纳米颗粒. 自旋回声测试结果表明, 纳米颗粒中氮空位色心的相干时间T₂很短, 介于0.86 μs至5.6 μs之间. Ramsey干涉条纹测试结果表明, 氮空位色心NV1点的退相干时间T₂^* 最大, 为0.7 μs, 其电子自旋共振谱可分辨的最小线宽为1.05 MHz. 并且NV1点的电子自旋共振谱可分辨氮空位色心本身的¹⁴N核自旋与 氮空位色心电子自旋之间的2.2 MHz超精细相互作用, 这对于在金刚石纳米颗粒中实现核自旋的操控和多个量子比特的门操作具有重要意义. 关键词： 纳米颗粒 氮空位色心 电子自旋     

Manipulations with diamond nanoparticles in SPM: the effect of electric field of the conductive probe tip

The role of the electric field during manipulations with diamond nanoparticles on a silicon substrate by a scanning probe microscope (SPM) tip is studied. It is found that the attractive force appearing in the contact between nanodiamond and an electrically charged tip is sufficient to detach and displace a chosen nanoparticle from initial to goal position under moderate mechanical stresses of the probe to nanoparticle. The problem of the control of the tip motion trajectory during manipulations is solved by visualizing the tip trace of the sample surface. The results obtained will be used for precision positioning of single-photon emitters based on luminescent nanodiamonds in microcavities.     

Diamond nanocrystals hosting single nitrogen-vacancy color centers sorted by photon-correlation near-field microscopy

Diamond nanocrystals containing highly photoluminescent color centers are attractive, nonclassical, and near-field light sources. For near-field applications, the size of the nanocrystal is crucial, since it defines the optical resolution. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers are efficiently created by proton irradiation and annealing of a nanodiamond powder. Using near-field microscopy and photon statistics measurements, we show that nanodiamonds with sizes down to 25 nm can hold a single NV color center with bright and stable photoluminescence.     

Room-Temperature Level Anticrossing and Cross-Relaxation Spectroscopy of Spin Color Centers in SiC Single Crystals and Nanostructures

A sharp variation of the near infrared photoluminescence intensity for spin-3/2 color centers in hexagonal (4H-, 6H-) and rhombic (15R-) SiC polytypes in the vicinity of level anticrossing (LAC) and cross-relaxation in an external magnetic field at room temperature are observed. This effect can be used for a purely all-optical sensing of the magnetic field with nanoscale spatial resolution. A distinctive feature of the LAC signal is a weak dependence on the magnetic field direction that allows monitoring of the LAC signals in the nonoriented systems, such as powder materials, without need to determine the nanocrystal orientation in the sensing measurements. Furthermore, an LAC-like signal is also observed for the spin color centers (NV centers) in diamond in low magnetic fields with only marginal dependence on the magnetic field direction. This effect is enabled to detect weak magnetic fields using nanodiamond samples in the form of disordered mixture. In addition, the optically detected magnetic resonance and LAC techniques are suggested to serve as a simple method to determine the local stress in nanodiamonds under ambient conditions.