Diamond Materials Vii

A collection of papers from The American Ceramic Society's 35th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, held in Daytona Beach, Florida, January 23-28, 2011. This issue includes papers presented in the 5th International Symposium on Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology on topics such as Nanotubes, Nanorods, Nanowires and other One-dimensional Structures; Nanostructured Membranes, Thin Films, and Functional Coatings; Synthesis, Functionalization and Processing of Nanostructured Materials; and Advanced Applications.

This issue covers papers relating to advanced semiconductor products that are true representatives of nanoelectronics have reached below 100 nm. Depending on the application, the nanosystem may consist of one or more of the following types of functional components: electronic, optical, magnetic, mechanical, biological, chemical, energy sources, and various types of sensing devices. As long as one or more of these functional devices is in 1-100 nm dimensions, the resultant system can be defined as nanosystem. Papers will be in all areas of dielectric issues in nanosystems. In addition to traditional areas of semiconductor processing and packaging of nanoelectronics, emphasis will be placed on areas where multifunctional device integration (through innovation in design, materials, and processing at the device and system levels) will lead to new applications of nanosystems.

The book gives an overview on the current development status of synthetic diamond films and their applications. Its initial part is devoted to discuss the different types of conductive diamond electrodes that have been synthesized, their preparation methods, and their chemical properties and characterization. The electrochemical properties of diamond films in different scientific areas, with special attention in electroanalysis, are further described. Different strategies to modify these electrodes are also discussed as important technologies with ability to change their electrochemical characteristics for a more specific electroanalytical use. The second part of the book deals with practical applications of diamond electrodes to the industry, organic electrosynthesis, electrochemical energy technology, and biotechnology. Special emphasis is made on the properties of these materials for the production of strong oxidizing species allowing the fast mineralization of organics and their use for water disinfection and decontamination. Recent biotechnological development on biosensors, microelectrodes, and nanostructured electrodes, as well as on neurochemistry, is also presented. The book will be written by a large number of internationally recognized experts and comprises 24 chapters describing the characteristics and theoretical fundaments of the different electrochemical uses and applications of synthetic diamond films.

Diamond has a unique combination of properties, such as the highest hardness and thermal conductivity among any known material, high electrical resistivity, a large optical band gap and a high transmission, good resistance to chemical erosion, low adhesion and friction, and extremely low thermal expansion coefficient. As such, diamond has been a desirable material in a wide range of applications in mechanical, chemical, optical, thermal and electrical engineering. In many of the cases, the surface of a diamond component or element must have a superior finish, often down to a surface roughness of nanometers. Nevertheless, due to its extreme hardness and chemical inertness, the polishing of diamond and its composites has been a sophisticated process. Polishing of Diamond Materials will provide a state-of-the-art analysis, both theoretically and experimentally, of the most commonly used polishing techniques for mono/poly-crystalline diamond and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond films, including mechanical, chemo-mechanical, thermo-chemical, high energy beam, dynamic friction and other polishing techniques. The in-depth discussions will be on the polishing mechanisms, possible modelling, material removal rate and the quality control of these techniques. A comparison of their advantages and drawbacks will be carried out to provide the reader with a useful guideline for the selection and implementation of these polishing techniques. Polishing of Diamond Materials will be of interest to researchers and engineers in hard materials and precision manufacturing, industry diamond suppliers, diamond jewellery suppliers and postgraduate students in the area of precision manufacturing.

Provides an overview of research in Diamond Electrochemistry, as well as practical applications of diamond electrodes. With chapters written by experts in their respective fields, this book serves as a useful source of information for electrochemists working in physical or analytical chemistry.

This book discusses microstructure-property correlations and explores key microstructure features and how they affect the properties of a material. The authors discuss the effect of manufacturing and processing routes on microstructure and properties. They identify appropriate microstructure and mechanical characterization techniques essential for developing accurate microstructure-property relationships. The techniques include high resolution imaging methods and properties measurements such as hardness, strength, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. Current and future trends in hard and superhard material design are revealed by the authors, including nanostructured materials, biomimicry, and novel manufacturing technologies.