ADVANCED MATERIALS · DIAMOND · FLUORESCENT NANODIAMONDS

Nanoscale diamond fragmentation & fluorescent nanodiamonds

The same pulsed physics — pulse, pressure wave, contactless fragmentation — can act on diamond at the particle scale. XCRUSHER has already produced fluorescent nanodiamonds within patented work, from different diamond sources. The challenge is not only to reduce size: it is to preserve functional properties as much as possible — in particular colour centres — while limiting contamination from grinding tools.

Several diamond sources, one shared bottleneck

Functional nanodiamond can be obtained from several sources: synthetic or micronic diamond, detonation diamond, CVD-grown diamond. Each source raises a different bottleneck — detailed below as three routes. XCRUSHER brings contactless fragmentation, which limits metal-contamination risk compared with conventional grinding routes.

For which uses?

These materials feed demanding fields: sensors, optics, imaging, bio-imaging and quantum functions (NV centres), where a particle’s size, integrity, surface state and colour centres directly determine its value.

Three fragmentation routes

Route 1 — Synthetic / micronic diamond

Starting from synthetic diamond or micronic powders, fragmented down towards the nanoscale.

Route 2 — Detonation diamond

Starting from primary nanodiamonds, already very small but agglomerated into clusters. The challenge is to break the clusters, deagglomerate them and clean graphitic / onion-like carbon phases.

Route 3 — CVD-grown diamond

A third route concerns CVD-grown diamond. CVD growth can produce high-quality diamond layers or films, but transforming these materials into functional nanoscale particles requires a fragmentation or disintegration step. This step may introduce contaminants, generate non-diamond carbon or alter the targeted optical properties. XCRUSHER explores contactless fragmentation of CVD-grown diamond materials, aiming to prepare better-qualified diamond particles with reduced contamination risk from grinding tools.

CVD-route bottlenecks: contamination from grinding tools · non-diamond carbon generation · surface-state modification · size-distribution control · preservation of colour centres / optical properties · compatibility with demanding (optical, quantum) applications.

Proof on fluorescent nanodiamond, caution on performance

XCRUSHER has produced fluorescent nanodiamonds within patented work; each case is handled individually. We publish no process parameters, no yields and no promise of perfect colour-centre preservation, and we do not claim generalised industrial capability where it is not documented.

A diamond or nanodiamond material to explore?

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