Special Issue "The New Diamond Age?"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Valery Khabashesku
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd., Rm. N42G, Engineering Building 1, Bd. N 579, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Website: http://www.chee.uh.edu/faculty/research_professors/khabashesku/main.html
E-Mail: valery@uh.edu
Interests: chemistry and spectroscopy of transient molecules containing double and triple pi bonds at group 14 elements (C, Si, Ge, Sn); carbenes; small strained metallacycles; fullerenes; high pressure/high temperature synthesis; degradation chemistry of materials; hydrogen storage materials; design of integrated polymer composites, organic-inorganic hybrids and coatings, lubricants, surface chemistry, organic and inorganic materials synthesis; engineering and nanotechnology

Dear Colleagues,

The field of diamond research has been experiencing a rapid progress over the last two decades due to discoveries of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method for synthesis of polycrystalline diamond thin films and industrial process for producing ultrananocrystalline diamond powder (with 2-20 nm particle size) by detonation of explosives. It was found that besides extreme mechanical and thermophysical properties, the synthetic diamonds also possess unique chemical and photophysical properties such as ability for surface functionalization and, in the case of detonation nanodiamonds, intrinsic bright fluorescence. The chemically surface-modified nanodiamonds are expected to combine the physical properties of diamond crystals and chemical properties of organic functional groups attached to their surface. Functionalization by specific organic groups and biomolecules can improve solubility in common solvents and water, and dispersion in polymers for nanocomposite processing. The tiny detonation diamond nanoparticles are expected to penetrate even the cell nucleus as passive transport into the nucleus is limited to particles of 9 nm or less in diameter. Functionalized fluorescent diamond nanoparticles present an opportunity for cell imaging with relatively little thermal or biochemical perturbations due to the optical transparency and biologically inert nature of diamond. These and other high expectations for application in engineering and biomedical fields continue to drive the current diamond research into a “new diamond age”.

Prof. Dr. Valery N. Khabashesku
Guest Editor

Submission

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• CVD diamond
• thin films
• detonation nanodiamond
• functionalization
• fluorescent diamond
• nanocomposites
• coatings
• biosensors