Boron-doped Nanodiamond Powder Prepared by Solid-state Diffusion Method

A method based on solid-state diffusion has been developed for the preparation of conductive nanodiamond (ND) powder that should be useful for application as a chemically inert electrode material with a large specific surface area. Heat treatment of a ND/boron powder mixture in H-2 atmosphere at 900 degrees C increased the conductivity from 2.0 x 10(-6) to 2.7 x 10(-3) S cm(-1). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements implied that the enhancement of conductivity originated from the solid-state diffusion of boron into ND from the surface.