Understanding the Nanoscale Inhomogeneity in Commercial Detonation Nanodiamonds via Advanced Material Characterization

Abstract

Detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) have been widely used for many applications across different disciplines. As part of an ongoing effort that previously demonstrated variations in the structural stability of different DND samples, this work performed in-depth characterization of commercial DND samples with a special focus on identifying the nanoscale variations in the structural and chemical properties within each sample. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy in the scanning mode were exploited to elucidate the changes in the structure with diamond-carbon core surrounded by graphitic-carbon layers during electron beam irradiation for DNDs with relatively low impurity content to demonstrate localized variations in structural instability. Although Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy did not indicate a significant amorphous content, powder X-ray diffraction experiments suggest distinct amorphous character and the presence of organic impurities in the relatively higher-quality diamond samples containing a higher crystallinity and lower metal and organic impurities content. The particle surface properties were also investigated with small-angle X-ray scattering, and the interfacial stability in water suspension was evaluated by zeta potential measurements. Overall, the present work highlights the importance of conducting a thorough characterization to identify the presence of contaminants that may result in unexpected results for applications using what are assumed to be a pure DND with a stable diamond structure.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1103087

Entities

People

  • Chi-chin Wu
  • Frederick L Beyer
  • Jennifer L Gottfried
  • Kelsea K. Miller
  • Rose A. Pesce-rodriguez
  • Scott D. Walck

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Advanced Materials
  • Chemical Analysis
  • Diffraction
  • Electron Beams
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Electrons
  • High Resolution
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Measurement
  • Particles
  • Scattering
  • Spectra
  • Spectroscopy
  • Transmission Electron Microscopy
  • Two Dimensional
  • X Ray Scattering
  • X Rays

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Pulsed-Laser Deposition
  • Microelectronics