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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
Published on: March 27, 2019
Photochemical Etching of Carbonyl Groups from a Carbon Matrix: The (001) Diamond Surface
L Weston1,2, J E Downes1, C G Baldwin1
1MQ Photonics Research Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
Abstract:
The surface of diamond is reported to undergo nonablative photochemical etching when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation which allows controlled single and partial layer removal of lattice layers. Oxygen termination of surface dangling bonds is known to be crucial for the etching process; however, the exact mechanism of carbon ejection remains unclear. We investigate the interaction of UV laser pulses with oxygen-terminated diamond surfaces using atomic-scale surface characterization combined with first-principles time-dependent density functional theory calculations. We present evidence for laser-induced desorption (LID) from carbonyl functional groups at the diamond {001} surface. The doubly bonded carbonyl group is photoexcited into a triply bonded CO-like state, including scission of the underlying C─C bonds. The carbon removal process in LID is atom by atom; therefore, this mechanism provides a novel "top-down" approach for creating nanostructures on the surface of diamond and other carbon-containing semiconductors.
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