Catalytic Activity of Nanodiamonds in Redox Process

Abstract

Properties and chemical composition of detonation nanodiamonds (ND) vary with production conditions and degree of purification. The presence of catalytically active metals in ND suggests that they could be regarded as ready-made nanostructured metallic catalysts on carbon carriers. Catalytic activity in ozone decomposition as a model reaction of redox processes was studied on ND offered by various authors. The specific surface and volume of pores are observed to change slightly during ozonation, whereas the average radius of micropores remains constant and does not depend on the method of synthesis and the ND purification details. However, they are shown to exert a substantial effect on the ND microstructure and chemical composition and, consequently, catalytic activity and adsorptive properties.

Keywords:

• Nanodiamond
• ozonation
• adsorptive properties
• catalyst

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by Earth Sciences Section-5 and SI Visby project 00996/2008.