40. Beauty Beyond the Eye: Color Centers in Diamond Particles for Imaging and Quantum Sensing Applications

N. Nunn, M. Torelli, A. Ajoy, A. Smirnov, O. Shenderova [PDF]
Rev. Adv. Chem., 12, 1, (2022).

Abstract:
Fluorescent diamond particles are candidates for imaging and quantum sensing in a range of applications in biological, biomedical, and industrial fields. The fluorescence of these diamond particles originates from atomic scale defects (color centers) within the diamond lattice. Color centers in diamonds are bright and photostable. Recent advances in the synthesis and processing of diamond particles have greatly expanded the variety of available luminescent colors, making such particle suitable for multicolor imaging. Some color centers, such as the nitrogen vacancy center (NV), can exhibit several useful properties, including exceptionally long spin coherence times. The latter property has been actively exploited to manipulate NV electronic spins with magnetic fields and microwaves at resonant frequencies and then read out the spin states optically – all at room temperature. Additionally, the diamond particles themselves bring a host of additional properties, such as chemical and mechanical robustness and high biocompatibility. The combination of these properties makes fluorescent diamond particles unique among the other materials. Herein we briefly review some of the ongoing developments in the production of fluorescent diamond particles and also highlight both the recent advances and the most promising potential applications of this technology.