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Nanodiamonds

Diamond at the nanoscale, with a surface you can put to work. Nanodiamonds bring the hardness and inertness of diamond into slurries and lubricants, and increasingly into medicine and quantum sensing.

~4 to 5nm
Particle size
A few nanometres across
~300+m²/g
Surface area
Large, tunable surface
sp³
Diamond-hard core
True diamond bonding
NV
Fluorescence
Colour centres for quantum sensing

What is nanodiamonds

Nanodiamonds are diamond particles only a few nanometres across, most often produced by detonation synthesis. Each particle is an sp3 carbon core wrapped in a surface that can be chemically functionalised, which is the key to how they are used. They offer diamond hardness, high thermal conductivity, chemical inertness and biocompatibility, along with a large, tunable surface. Particles that contain nitrogen-vacancy centres also fluoresce, which underpins their growing role in quantum sensing and bioimaging.

Material properties

What makes nanodiamonds exceptional

HardnessThe hardness of diamond at the nanoscale
Thermal conductivityMoves heat efficiently
Chemical inertnessStable against most chemicals
Tunable surface chemistrySurface functionalised for each use
BiocompatibilityTolerated well in biological systems
FluorescenceNitrogen-vacancy centres emit stable light
LubricityReduces friction as an additive
Small particle sizeOnly a few nanometres across

Market outlook

A market scaling fast

The nanodiamond market is estimated at around $370 million in 2024 and is growing at roughly a 12 percent CAGR, led by detonation nanodiamonds and demand from polishing, lubricants, healthcare and electronics.

$370M
Market size, 2024
~12%
CAGR
8
Application sectors tracked

How nanodiamonds fits the carbon ecosystem

Ecosystem map

4Raw sources
5Processing routes
1Advanced materials
7End applications
RAW SOURCESINTERMEDIATEPROCESSINGADVANCED MATERIALSEND APPLICATIONSPetroleumMineralOtherBiomassCarbon Bearing …Natural GraphiteSynthetic Graph…Petroleum Produ…BiomaterialsIndustrial by-p…Captured CO₂PlasmaCavitationDetonationLaser AblationCVDNanodiamondsCoatingsElectronicsHealthcareLubricantsPolymersSensorsThermal Managem…
Raw Sources
Intermediate
Processing
Advanced Materials
End Applications

The above is for illustration purposes only and does not represent every possible data point.

View full diagram ↗

Standards and certification

Key Nanodiamonds standards

Explore further

Used in these applications

Enquire about Nanodiamonds

Ask the ACC team about Nanodiamonds: sourcing, applications, membership, or connecting with producers in the network.

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At a glance

Coresp3 carbon
Size~4 to 6 nm
Made byDetonation synthesis
SurfaceFunctionalisable
SpecialNV colour centres