In the study, well-crystallized nano-diamonds with an average size of 3.8 nm are obtained via femtosecond laser ablation. Both steady-state and transient luminescence are observed. The luminescence peaks of nano-diamonds shift from 380 to 495 nm when the excitation wavelength changes from 280 to 420 nm. After passivation by polyethylene glycol-400N, the surface of nano-diamonds is significantly oxidized, which is verified by Raman and UV-Vis absorption spectra. Furthermore, there is no change in all the luminescence wavelengths, although the maximum intensity increases by 10 times. Time-resolved luminescence spectra reveal that trapping states can be modified by surface passivation, and this leads to stronger luminescence with a longer lifetime.
Keywords: Luminescence; Nano-diamonds; Pulsed laser ablation; Surface modification.