Characterization of structures and surface states of the nanodiamond synthesized by detonation

Abstract Nanodiamond is a relatively new nanomaterial with broad prospects for application. In this paper, a variety of methods were used to analyze comprehensively the structures and the surface states of the nanodiamond synthesized by detonation, for example, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, energy diffraction spectroscopy (EDS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (Raman) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results show that, the nanodiamond particles are spherical or elliptical in shape. The average grain size is approximately 5 nm. The surfaces of the nanodiamond contain hydroxy, carbonyl, carboxyl, ether-based resin, and other functional groups. The initial oxidation temperature of the nanodiamond in the air is about 550 °C, which is lower than that of the bulk diamond.