Abstract
Surface phosphorylation of nanodiamond was performed by reaction with phosphoryl chloride in dichloromethane. Depending on the reaction conditions, P contents of up to 1.66 mmol/g were reached. Phosphorylation dramatically enhanced the thermal stability of nanodiamond under oxidizing conditions, shifting the oxidation temperature by up to 190 °C and dividing the oxidation rate by a factor of up to 160. The nature of the grafted phosphate species and their evolution during thermal treatment was followed using solid-state NMR.