X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy applied to nanodiamonds: From surface chemistry to in situ reactivity

The surface chemistry governs most of the physical and chemical properties of nanodiamonds (NDs). X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy is a method of choice to characterize the surface of NDs. The present paper reviews on XPS studies focusing on modifications of surface terminations or grafting of biomolecules and polymers on NDs. The second part illustrates studies in which XPS can even be used as a specific tool to investigate in situ the reactivity and the stability of NDs toward various atmospheres like plasma or UHV annealing.