From Diamondoids to Nanodiamonds: Crafting Functional Materials Under Pressure

To address pressing challenges like climate change mitigation and advancing sustainable energy technologies, the scientific community is focused on creating innovative and novel materials. Discovering and designing these materials is challenging and often requires cross-disciplinary studies. High pressure is a powerful technique to synthesize new materials and finely tune their properties. My project aims to study how diamondoids, a class of carbon nanomaterials with well-defined structures, change when subjected to extreme conditions such as high pressure and high temperature. Using infrared spectroscopy at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility in France, we will explore diamondoid behavior when compressed and heated. Diamondoids hold immense promise for various applications, including nanodevices and quantum computing, and serve as optimal building blocks for nanodiamond synthesis. Investigating their behavior under extreme conditions is crucial for understanding their capabilities and exploring the relationship between structure and properties. This research, a collaborative effort between Stanford University and SOLEIL, will foster significant advancements in functional materials and contribute to the development of innovative technologies in emerging fields.