Self-Assembly of n-Diamond Nanocrystals Into Supercrystals

Face-centered cubic n-diamond (sg F4̅3m) is a carbon allotrope relatively new and, similar to the others (graphite, diamond, fullerenes, and nanotubes are the most relevant ones), is currently a focus of great interest for potential advanced applications, with a particular emphasis in the field of nanotechnologies. The presence of n-diamond has been in general revealed as a byproduct of several diamond synthesis techniques. In the case of detonation nanodiamond, self-assembly mechanisms can be used in order to selectively separate n-diamond from other carbon nanomaterials. In particular, we show the possibility to achieve single crystal-like organized three-dimensional particles (with a size of some hundreds of nanometers), using as building blocks n-diamond nanocrystals (with a size of a few nanometers).