Surface functionalization and physicochemical characterization of diamond nanoparticles

Diamond possesses excellent physical properties such as hardness, optical transparency, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, chemical corrosiveness, and biocompatibility. Recent development of nanodiamond production at the bulk scale makes it possible to utilize its excellent physical properties in the field of nanotechnologies. This work concerns the surface functionalization and solubilization of diamond nanoparticles having mean sizes of 5 and 60 nm in diameter to widen their applications. Their identifications and characterizations were investigated by employing many analytical methods such as atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray, IR, and zeta potential measurements. Our results show that the surface functionalization of nanodiamonds is highly versatile and thus their direct use or further modifications as nanobiomaterials look promising for various applications in the fields of coating materials, metal plating, and polymer nanocomposites.