Interaction of Carbon Atoms with Nanodiamond Surface

Abstract

A combination of N(E) Auger spectroscopy, X-ray excitation (XAES), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and valence band (VB) XPS have been used to study nanodiamond (ND) particles. These methods have different information depths of 1-2, 5-7, and 10-12 monolayers (ML), respectively, and an inherent spectral structure in the identification of sp(2)-sp(3)-bonds. Our data show that the upper 1-2 ML of a ND particle consists of carbon atoms with sp(2)-bonds, which differ from those in well-known carbon compounds. The ND core is made up of diamond. Chemical reactions of the carbon atoms with the particle have been studied in-situ and ex-situ. The crutial role of the upper monolayer in the diamond growth has been established for both cases.