Effects of Surface Chemistry and Crystal Size on Raman Spectra of Nanodiamond

Abstract

Detonation nanodiamonds (ND) exhibit exceptional properties due to their small size, rich surface chemistry, and high surface to volume ratio compared to bulk diamonds [1]. These unique characteristics also affect their Raman spectra. While for other carbon nanomaterials Raman spectroscopy is routinely used for analysis of the structure, ordering and dimensions; the presence of large amounts of non-diamond carbon, broad crystal size distributions, and numerous surface functional groups severely limit the potential of Raman spectroscopy for ND characterization due to poor understanding of their spectral features.