  A reliable explanation for the underlying mechanism responsible for the
persistent aggregation and self-assembly of colloidal 5 nm diamond
nanoparticles is critical to the development of nanodiamond-based technologies.
Although a number of mechanisms have been proposed, validation has been
hindered by the inherent difficulty associated with the identification and
characterisation of the inter-particle interfaces. In this paper we present
results of high resolution aberration corrected electron microscopy and
complementary computer simulations to explicate the features involved, and
confirm the electrostatic interaction mechanism as the most probable cause for
the formation of agglutinates and agglomerates of primary particles.
