Detonation nanodiamonds for doping Kevlar

This paper reports on the first attempt to enclose diamond nanoparticles--produced by detonation--into a Kevlar matrix. A nanocomposite material (40 wt% diamond) was prepared by precipitation from an acidic solution of Kevlar containing dispersed nanodiamonds. In this material, the diamond nanoparticles (Ø = 4 nm) are entirely wrapped in a Kevlar layer about 1 nm thick. In order to understand the interactions between the nanodiamond surface and the polymer, the oxygenated surface functional groups of nanodiamond were identified and titrated by Boehm's method which revealed the exclusive presence of carboxyl groups (0.85 sites per nm2). The hydrogen interactions between these groups and the amide groups of Kevlar destroy the "rod-like" structure and the classical three-dimensional organization of this polymer. The distortion of Kevlar macromolecules allows the wrapping of nanodiamonds and leads to submicrometric assemblies, giving a cauliflower structure reminding a fractal object. Due to this structure, the macroscopic hardness of Kevlar doped by nanodiamonds (1.03 GPa) is smaller than the one of pure Kevlar (2.31 GPa). To our knowledge, this result is the first illustration of the change of the mechanical properties induced by doping the Kevlar with nanoparticles.