Ultradisperse diamond cluster aggregation studied by atomic force microscopy

Abstract

The structure of ultradisperse diamond (UDD) conglomerates was studied by scanning atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The UDD layers were prepared from a detonation carbon obtained by synthesis in an aqueous medium. The finest details in the AFM images of UDD layers are of the order of 10 nm, which does not allow individual 4.5-nm diamond clusters to be distinguished. The UDD conglomerates deposited and dried on a silicon substrate surface, exhibit certain deformation and differ from the initial (apparently, spherical) shape. This may imply that cohesion between the UDD nanoparticles is comparable with their adhesion to the silicon substrate.