New route to the fabrication of nanocrystalline diamond films

Journal Article · Fri Feb 07 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4863822· OSTI ID:22278162

Varshney, Deepak; Morell, Gerardo ^[1]; Palomino, Javier; Resto, Oscar ^[2]; Gil, Jennifer ^[3]; Weiner, Brad R. ^[1]

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1. Institute of Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931, Puerto Rico (United States)
2. Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PO Box 70377, Puerto Rico 00936, Puerto Rico (United States)
3. Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936, Puerto Rico (United States)

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films offer applications in various fields, but the existing synthetic approaches are cumbersome and destructive. A major breakthrough has been achieved by our group in the direction of a non-destructive, scalable, and economic process of NCD thin-film fabrication. Here, we report a cheap precursor for the growth of nanocrystalline diamond in the form of paraffin wax. We show that NCD thin films can be fabricated on a copper support by using simple, commonplace paraffin wax under reaction conditions of Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition (HFCVD). Surprisingly, even the presence of any catalyst or seeding that has been conventionally used in the state-of-the-art is not required. The structure of the obtained films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Raman spectroscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy recorded at the carbon K-edge region confirm the presence of nanocrystalline diamond. The process is a significant step towards cost-effective and non-cumbersome fabrication of nanocrystalline diamond thin films for commercial production.

• OSTI ID: 22278162
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
COPPER
CRYSTALS
DIAMONDS
ELECTRONS
ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY
FABRICATION
NANOSTRUCTURES
PARAFFIN
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
THIN FILMS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY