Photochemical modification of diamond films with sulfur-containing functionalities

Photolysis of cyclic disulfides in the presence of diamond films led to a surface modification that introduced thioalkylthiol functional groups, as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The S/C ratio of sulfur-modified diamond films depends on irradiation time, as monitored by XPS. Through thioalkylthiol moieties, the attachment of gold nanoparticles using a self-assembly process was performed on diamond surfaces.