Nano Diamond

Diamond is a material with a number of outstanding mechanical, optical, electrical and chemical properties. In the last decades it has attracted considerable scientific interest regarding the application of its excellent properties. The same holds for the nano- and ultrananocrystalline diamond (NCD and UNCD) films, as they inherit (to a large extent) the properties of diamond combined with smooth surfaces and possibilities to coat substrates of different materials, sizes and shapes. This makes them candidates for applications in various fields such as tribology, optics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), quantum information technology, biomedicine, biotechnology and many others.

Our current research activities are directed towards deposition of UNCD and NCD films by microwave plasma or hot-filament chemical vapour deposition (MWPCVD and HFCVD) and the investigation of their basic (morphology, topography, crystallinity, composition, bonding structure, etc.) and application relevant (mechanical, optical, electrical, biocompatibility, bioactivity, etc.) properties. We study also the surface modifications of NCD and UNCD by plasma and photochemical processes and different following functionalizations for specific interactions with bioentities (proteins, cells). Another large field of research of our group is the fabrication of diamond nanostructures applying lithography and dry etching. Such 1D (nanopillars) and 2D (photonic crystals) nanostructures can be incorporated with NV and SiV colors centers in order to increase the photon collection efficiency.

All these activities are supported by diverse projects as summarized below.