  The design of a Ring Imaging CHerenkov (RICH) detector for the identification
of high momentum particles at the future Electron Ion Collider (EIC) is
extremely challenging by using current technology. Compact collider setups
impose to construct RICH with short radiator length, hence limiting the number
of generated photons. The number of detected photons can be increased by
selecting the far UV region. As standard fused-silica windows is opaque below
165 nm, a windowless RICH can be a possible approach. CsI is widely used
photocathode (PC) for photon detection in the far UV range. Due to its
hygroscopic nature it is very delicate to handle. In addition, its Quantum
Efficiency (QE) degrades in high intensity ion fluxes. These are the key
reasons to quest for novel PC with sensitivity in the far UV region. Recent
development of layers of hydrogenated nanodiamond powders as an alternative PC
material and their performance, when coupled to the THick Gaseous Electron
Multipliers (THGEM)-based detectors, are the objects of an ongoing R\&D. We
report here some preliminary results on the initial phase of these studies.
