Hugues GIRARD

Research Director in the field of nanomaterials for energy-related applications

• Nanoscale structuring of diamond material through innovative MPCVD processes
• Surface chemistry engineering of diamond nanostructures and nanoparticles
• Understanding of interfacial mechanisms and colloidal behavior of diamond nanoparticles
• Investigation of light-matter interactions with diamond nanoparticles

Research experience

Since September 2020	Nanometric Structures Lab CEA NIMBE, UMR CEA-CNRS Fundamental Research Division Paris-Saclay Center	Nanomaterials for energy : Synthesis and functionalization of diamond nanoparticles and nanostructures
June 2010-August 2020	Diamond Sensors Lab CEA LIST Technological Research Division Paris-Saclay Center	Materials for sensors and biotechnologies : development of devices and sensitive layers based on bulk diamond or diamond (nano)particles
2009-2010	Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée (PMC) CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique	Post-Doc Position : Development of new functionalization routes based on hydrogenated nanodiamonds
2008-2009	Diamond Sensors Lab CEA LIST Technological Research Division Paris-Saclay Center	Post-Doc Position : Development of nanoseeding techniques toward 3D MPCVD growth
2004-2008	Institut Lavoisier CNRS-Université de Versailles St Quentin en Yvelines	PhD : Electrochemical behavior of boron doped diamond electrodes : role of surface chemistry

Education

2018 Accreditation to Supervise Research	Université Paris-Saclay – France
2004 PhD in Material Chemistry	Université Versailles – St Quentin en Yvelines – France

Recent and Noteworthy Scientific Publications

List of publications – HAL-portal-CEA

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Standalone nanocarbon photocatalyst for a complete and fast photodegradation of PFOA to fluorine ions under solar-type illumination
R. Jimenez, C. Genre, C. Boillereau, S. Peulon, J. Arnault, H.A. Girard, Carbon 2026, 260, 121905

Intrabandgap States Engineering in Functionalized Nanodiamond to Generate Solvated Electrons for Photocatalysis Under Solar Illumination
B. Kiendl, A. Chemin, A.H. Day, R.B. Rodriguez, S. Choudhury, F. Buchner, K. Atak, C. Merschjann, E. Hadzifejzovic, T.D.W. Claridge, K. Larsson, A. Venerosy, M.M. Lounasvuori, N. Zabarska, B. Iliev, T.J.S. Schubert, H.A. Girard, J. Arnault, J.S. Foord, T. Petit, A. Krueger, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2026, 37, 1

Disordered Carbon Shells Enable Shape Dependent Fluorescence Enhancement in Nanodiamond Quantum Sensors Revealed by Correlative TEM–Fluorescence Microscopy
P. Kumar, T. Vaillant, M. Kianinia, H. Wen, A. Stewart, P.J. Reece, H.A. Girard, J. Arnault, H. Chang, I. Aharonovich, S.L.Y. Chang, , Adv. Funct. Mater. 2026 36, 1

Chemistry of the Shallow Surface of Isolated Nanodiamonds Probed by Synchrotron X-Ray Photoemission
Girard, H. A.; Finas, M.; Saoudi, L.; Ducrozet, F.; Briant, M.; Sublemontier, O.; Milosavljevic, A.; Nicolas, C.; Arnault, J. C. Nanoscale 2025, 17, 24601

Tailoring Nanodiamonds for High-Contrast EPR Imaging: Size, Surface Properties, and Spectroscopic Performance
Garifo, S.; Stanicki, D.; Vangijzegem, T.; Mellet, P.; Girard, H. A.; Arnault, J.-C.; Bégin-Colin, S.; Frapart, Y.-M.; Muller, R. N.; Laurent, S. Langmuir 2025, 41, 4862–4873

Thermal Sensing Using Temperature‐Sensitive Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy in Nitrogen‐Doped Nanodiamonds
Sáenz de Santa María Modroño, P.; Girard, H. A.; Arnault, J.; Jacopin, G. Phys. status solidi 2025, 222 (5), 1–6

Tuning Surface Properties of Detonation and Milled Nanodiamonds by Gas Phase Modifications
Girard, H. A.; Arnault, J.-C. In Novel Aspects of Diamond II; Mandal, S., Yang, N., Eds.; Springer Nature Switzerland: Cham, 2024,149, 47–76.

In Situ Photoemission Spectroscopies to Reveal Surface Transfer Doping on Hydrogenated Milled Nanodiamonds
Njel, C.; Girard, H. A.; Frégnaux, M.; Aureau, D.; Arnault, J. C. Carbon N.Y. 2024, 230, 119668

Nitrogen-Terminated Milled Nanodiamond Surfaces by Plasma Exposure
Kuntumalla, M. K.; Chemin, A.; Finas, M.; Girard, H. A.; Michaelson, S.; Petit, T.; Arnault, J.-C.; Hoffman, A. J. Phys. Chem. C 2024, 128, 15573

How to efficiently isolate multiple size ranges of oxidized or hydrogenated milled nanodiamonds
Finas, M; Girard, H. A.; Arnault, J.-C. Nanoscale Adv. 2024, 6, 5375

Oxidized Detonation Nanodiamonds Act as an Efficient Metal-Free Photocatalyst to Produce Hydrogen Under Solar Irradiation
Marchal, C; Saoudi, L; Girard, HA; Keller, V; Arnault, JC. Adv. Energy Sustain. Res. 2024, 5 (3), 1–8.

Core-shells particles grown in a tubular reactor: Influence of the seeds nature and MPCVD conditions on boron-doped diamond crystalline quality
Henni, K; Njel, C; Frégnaux, M; Aureau, D; Merot, J-S; Fossard, F; Stenger, I; Arnault, J-C; Girard HA. Diam Relat Mater 2024, 142, 110770

Milled Nanodiamonds Overproduce Solvated Electrons while Scavenging Hydroxyl Radicals under Gamma Irradiation
Ducrozet, F; Brun, E; Girard, HA; Arnault, J-C; Sicard-Roselli, C. J Phys Chem C 2023, 127, 19544

Unintentional formation of nitrate and nitrite ions during nanodiamonds sonication: A source of radical and electron scavengers
Ducrozet, F.; Girard, H.A.; Jianu, T.; Peulon, S.; Brun, E.; Sicard-Roselli, C.; Arnault, J.C. Colloids Surfaces A Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 2023, 663, 131087

Colloid stability over months of highly crystalline hydrogenated nanodiamonds in water
Saoudi, L.; Girard, H.A.; Larquet, E.; Arnault, J.-C. . Carbon N. Y. 2023, 202, 438

Early dynamics of the emission of solvated electrons from nanodiamonds in water,
Buchner, F.; Kirschbaum, T.; Venerosy, A.; Girard, H.A.; Arnault, J.C.; Kiendl, B.; Krueger, A.; Larsson, K.; Bande, A.; Petit, T.; et al. Nanoscale 2022, 14, 17188

New Insights into the Reactivity of Detonation Nanodiamonds during the First Stages of Graphitization
Ducrozet, F.; Girard, H.A.; Leroy, J.; Larquet, E.; Florea, I.; Brun, E.; Sicard-Roselli, C.; Arnault, J.-C. Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 2671

Hydrogen plasma treated nanodiamonds lead to an overproduction of hydroxyl radicals and solvated electrons in solution under ionizing radiation
Brun, E.; Girard, H.A.; Arnault, J.; Mermoux, M.; Sicard-Roselli, C. Carbon N. Y. 2020, 162, 510

Delivery of siRNA to Ewing Sarcoma Tumor Xenografted on Mice, Using Hydrogenated Detonation Nanodiamonds: Treatment Efficacy and Tissue Distribution
Claveau, S.; Nehlig, É.; Garcia-Argote, S.; Feuillastre, S.; Pieters, G.; Girard, H.A.; Arnault, J.-C.; Treussart, F.; Bertrand, J.-R. Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 553

Combining nanostructuration with boron doping to alter sub band gap acceptor states in diamond materials.
Choudhury, S.; Kiendl, B.; Ren, J.; Gao, F.; Knittel, P.; Nebel, C.; Venerosy, A.; Girard, H.; Arnault, J.-C.; Krueger, A.; et al. J. Mater. Chem. A 2018, 6, 16645

Using hydrogen isotope incorporation as a tool to unravel the surfaces of hydrogen-treated nanodiamonds.
Nehlig, E.; Garcia-Argote, S.; Feuillastre, S.; Moskura, M.; Charpentier, T.; Schleguel, M.; Girard, H.A.; Arnault, J.-C.; Pieters, G. Nanoscale 2019, 11, 8027