Printable, Flexible, and Stretchable Forms of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond with Applications in Thermal Management

Thin-film diamond has many potential applications in electronics and optoelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), wear-resistant coatings, thermal management, and other areas owing to its exceptional electronic, optical, mechanical, chemical/tribological, and thermal properties, respectively. However, challenges in the integration of thin-film diamond with other materials continue to limit its widespread use. Thin-film diamond is most commonly implemented in these systems by directly growing the material on the surfaces of device substrates, where it is used as uniform or lithographically patterned films. This approach places restrictions on the range of applications because all known growth techniques involve relatively high temperatures (>400 8C), vacuum or low pressures, and often other demanding conditions. Integrating thin-film diamond on low-temperature plastics, for example, is not possible. Large-area substrates are also not well-matched to the capabilities of existing deposition techniques, being particularly cost-ineffective when the required diamond coverage is