Consequences of strong and diverse electrostatic potential fields on the surface of detonation nanodiamond particles

Discovery of strong electrostatic fields on the surface of primary particles of detonation nanodiamond by Barnard and Sternberg not only provided a highly likely explanation on the long pending origin of agglutination in the crude detonation product, but also marked the first recognition of a new type of interfacial interaction that can be as strong as C–C covalent bonding. The sign and potential distribution of the electrostatic field are specific to the crystallographic indices of facets and size of particles, thus the new electrostatic feature could well be unique to nanocrystals. This article interprets various enigmatic behaviors of nanodiamond particles that we have so far been unable to understand in terms of surface electrostatics. A mechanism of self polarization in the energy-minimized nanodiamond crystals in terms of orbital interactions through space and bond is presented.