Substitutional Nitrogen in Nanodiamond and Bucky-Diamond Particles

Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Super-Resolution Imaging

Super-resolution imaging techniques that overcome the diffraction limit of light have gained wide popularity for visualizing cellular structures with nanometric resolution. Following the pace of hardware developments, the availability of new fluorescent probes with superior properties is becoming ever more important. In this context, fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted increasing attention as bright and photostable probes that address many shortcomings of traditional fluorescent probes. The use of NPs for super-resolution imaging is a recent development and this provides the focus for the current review. We give an overview of different super-resolution methods and discuss their demands on the properties of fluorescent NPs. We then review in detail the features, strengths, and weaknesses of each NP class to support these applications and provide examples from their utilization in various biological systems. Moreover, we provide an outlook on the future of the field and opportunities in material science for the development of probes for multiplexed subcellular imaging with nanometric resolution.

Synthetic Doping of Diamondoids through Skeletal Editing

We present a strategy for the skeletal editing of diamondoid structures to selectively displace methylene for heteroatom moieties in the carbon framework. This constitutes a synthetic approach to doping diamond-like structures with electron donor dopants (O, N, and S). The key steps involve two subsequent retro-Barbier fragmentations followed by cage reconstruction in the presence of a dopant. Remarkably, the incorporation of n-dopants reduces the strain of the diamondoid cage as shown through homodesmotic equations.

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of nanoparticles

In this trends article, we review seminal and recent studies using static and magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR to study the structure of nanoparticles and ligands attached to nanoparticles. Solid-state NMR techniques including one-dimensional multinuclear NMR, cross-polarization, techniques for measuring dipolar coupling and internuclear distances, and multidimensional NMR have provided insight into the core-shell structure of nanoparticles as well as the structure of ligands on the nanoparticle surface. Hyperpolarization techniques, in particular solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), have enabled detailed studies of nanoparticle core-shell structure and surface chemistry, by allowing unprecedented levels of sensitivity to be achieved. The high signal-to-noise afforded by DNP has allowed homonuclear and heteronuclear correlation experiments involving nuclei with low natural abundance to be performed in reasonable experimental times, which previously would not have been possible. The use of DNP to study nanoparticles and their applications will be a fruitful area of study in the coming years as well.

Sandwiches of N-doped diamondoids and benzenevialone pair–cation and cation–pi interaction: a DFT study

Cation–lone pair and cation–pi interactions in the complexes of N-doped dimondoids.

Nanodiamond-Gold Nanocomposites with the Peroxidase-Like Oxidative Catalytic Activity

Novel nanodiamond-gold nanocomposites (NDAus) are prepared, and their oxidative catalytic activity is examined. Gold nanoparticles are deposited on carboxylated nanodiamonds (NDs) by in situ chemical reduction of gold precursor ions to produce NDAus, which exhibit catalytic activity for the oxidation of o-phenylenediamine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide similarly to a peroxidase. This remarkable catalytic activity is exhibited only by the gold nanoparticle-decorated NDs and is not observed for either Au nanoparticles or NDs separately. Kinetic oxidative catalysis studies show that NDAus exhibit a ping-pong mechanism with an activation energy of 93.3 kJ mol^-1, with the oxidation reaction rate being proportional to the substrate concentration. NDAus retain considerable activity even after several instances of reuse and are compatible with a natural enzyme, allowing the detection of xanthine using cascade catalysis. Association with gold nanoparticles makes NDs a good carbonic catalyst due to charge transfer at the metal-carbon interface and facilitated substrate adsorption. The results of this study suggest that diverse carbonic catalysts can be obtained by interfacial incorporation of various metal/inorganic substances.

Single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer scanning near-field optical microscopy: potentials and challenges

A few years ago, single molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope (FRET SNOM) images were demonstrated using CdSe semiconductor nanocrystal-dye molecules as donor-acceptor pairs. Corresponding experiments reveal the necessity to exploit much more photostable fluorescent centers for such an imaging technique to become a practically used tool. Here we report the results of our experiments attempting to use nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamond (ND) crystals, which are claimed to be extremely photostable, for FRET SNOM. All attempts were unsuccessful, and as a plausible explanation we propose the absence (instability) of NV centers lying close enough to the ND border. We also report improvements in SNOM construction that are necessary for single molecule FRET SNOM imaging. In particular, we present the first topographical images of single strand DNA molecules obtained with fiber-based SNOM. The prospects of using rare earth ions in crystals, which are known to be extremely photostable, for single molecule FRET SNOM at room temperature and quantum informatics at liquid helium temperatures, where FRET is a coherent process, are also discussed.

Nanodiamonds and silicon quantum dots: ultrastable and biocompatible luminescent nanoprobes for long-term bioimaging

Ultra-stability and low-toxicity of silicon quantum dots and fluorescent nanodiamonds for long-termin vitroandin vivobioimaging are demonstrated.

Molecular-sized fluorescent nanodiamonds

Doping of carbon nanoparticles with impurity atoms is central to their application. However, doping has proven elusive for very small carbon nanoparticles because of their limited availability and a lack of fundamental understanding of impurity stability in such nanostructures. Here, we show that isolated diamond nanoparticles as small as 1.6 nm, comprising only ∼400 carbon atoms, are capable of housing stable photoluminescent colour centres, namely the silicon vacancy (SiV). Surprisingly, fluorescence from SiVs is stable over time, and few or only single colour centres are found per nanocrystal. We also observe size-dependent SiV emission supported by quantum-chemical simulation of SiV energy levels in small nanodiamonds. Our work opens the way to investigating the physics and chemistry of molecular-sized cubic carbon clusters and promises the application of ultrasmall non-perturbative fluorescent nanoparticles as markers in microscopy and sensing.

Modeling polydispersive ensembles of diamond nanoparticles

While significant progress has been made toward production of monodispersed samples of a variety of nanoparticles, in cases such as diamond nanoparticles (nanodiamonds) a significant degree of polydispersivity persists, so scaling-up of laboratory applications to industrial levels has its challenges. In many cases, however, monodispersivity is not essential for reliable application, provided that the inevitable uncertainties are just as predictable as the functional properties. As computational methods of materials design are becoming more widespread, there is a growing need for robust methods for modeling ensembles of nanoparticles, that capture the structural complexity characteristic of real specimens. In this paper we present a simple statistical approach to modeling of ensembles of nanoparticles, and apply it to nanodiamond, based on sets of individual simulations that have been carefully selected to describe specific structural sources that are responsible for scattering of fundamental properties, and that are typically difficult to eliminate experimentally. For the purposes of demonstration we show how scattering in the Fermi energy and the electronic band gap are related to different structural variations (sources), and how these results can be combined strategically to yield statistically significant predictions of the properties of an entire ensemble of nanodiamonds, rather than merely one individual 'model' particle or a non-representative sub-set.

Effect of the nanodiamond host on a nitrogen-vacancy color-centre emission state

Control over the quantum states of individual luminescent nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in nanodiamonds (NDs) is demonstrated by careful design of the crystal host: its size, surface functional groups, and interfacing substrate. By progressive etching of the ND host, the NV centres are induced to switch from latent, through continuous, to intermittent or "blinking" emission states. The blinking mechanism of the NV centre in NDs is elucidated and a qualitative model proposed to explain this phenomenon in terms of the centre electron(s) tunnelling to acceptor site(s). These measurements suggest that the substrate material and its proximity to the NV are responsible for the fluorescence intermittency.

Multiscale Simulation as a Framework for the Enhanced Design of Nanodiamond-Polyethylenimine-based Gene Delivery

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are emerging carbon platforms with promise as gene/drug delivery vectors for cancer therapy. Specifically, NDs functionalized with the polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) can transfect small interfering RNAs (siRNA) in vitro with high efficiency and low cytotoxicity. Here we present a modeling framework to accurately guide the design of ND-PEI gene platforms and elucidate binding mechanisms between ND, PEI, and siRNA. This is among the first ND simulations to comprehensively account for ND size, charge distribution, surface functionalization, and graphitization. The simulation results are compared with our experimental results both for PEI loading onto NDs and for siRNA (C-myc) loading onto ND-PEI for various mixing ratios. Remarkably, the model is able to predict loading trends and saturation limits for PEI and siRNA, while confirming the essential role of ND surface functionalization in mediating ND-PEI interactions. These results demonstrate that this robust framework can be a powerful tool in ND platform development, with the capacity to realistically treat other nanoparticle systems.

Nitrogen-vacancy-assisted magnetometry of paramagnetic centers in an individual diamond nanocrystal

Semiconductor nanoparticles host a number of paramagnetic point defects and impurities, many of them adjacent to the surface, whose response to external stimuli could help probe the complex dynamics of the particle and its local, nanoscale environment. Here, we use optically detected magnetic resonance in a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center within an individual diamond nanocrystal to investigate the composition and spin dynamics of the particle-hosted spin bath. For the present sample, a ∼45 nm diamond crystal, NV-assisted dark-spin spectroscopy reveals the presence of nitrogen donors and a second, yet-unidentified class of paramagnetic centers. Both groups share a common spin lifetime considerably shorter than that observed for the NV spin, suggesting some form of spatial clustering, possibly on the nanoparticle surface. Using double spin resonance and dynamical decoupling, we also demonstrate control of the combined NV center-spin bath dynamics and attain NV coherence lifetimes comparable to those reported for bulk, Type Ib samples. Extensions based on the experiments presented herein hold promise for applications in nanoscale magnetic sensing, biomedical labeling, and imaging.

Interparticle Interactions and Self-Assembly of Functionalized Nanodiamonds

Although unpassivated detonation nanodiamonds are known to form tightly bound (and sometimes ordered) superstructures, in most high performance applications the surface are deliberately functionalized, and this can profoundly alter the aggregation behavior. In the present study, we model the aggregation of functionalized nanodiamonds and show that functionalization greatly reduces the Coulombic interactions characteristic of unsaturated particles. Our results provide new insights into the interactions of functionalized nanoparticles.

Nanodiamond for hydrogen storage: temperature-dependent hydrogenation and charge-induced dehydrogenation

Carbon-based hydrogen storage materials are one of hottest research topics in materials science. Although the majority of studies focus on highly porous loosely bound systems, these systems have various limitations including use at elevated temperature. Here we propose, based on computer simulations, that diamond nanoparticles may provide a new promising high temperature candidate with a moderate storage capacity, but good potential for recyclability. The hydrogenation of nanodiamonds is found to be easily achieved, in agreement with experiments, though we find the stability of hydrogenation is dependent on the morphology of nanodiamonds and surrounding environment. Hydrogenation is thermodynamically favourable even at high temperature in pure hydrogen, ammonia, and methane gas reservoirs, whereas water vapour can help to reduce the energy barrier for desorption. The greatest challenge in using this material is the breaking of the strong covalent C-H bonds, and we have identified that the spontaneous release of atomic hydrogen may be achieved through charging of hydrogenated nanodiamonds. If the degree of induced charge is properly controlled, the integrity of the host nanodiamond is maintained, which indicates that an efficient and recyclable approach for hydrogen release may be possible.

Modeling the thermostability of surface functionalisation by oxygen, hydroxyl, and water on nanodiamonds

Understanding nanodiamond functionalisation is of great importance for biological and medical applications. Here we examine the stabilities of oxygen, hydroxyl, and water functionalisation of the nanodiamonds using the self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding simulations. We find that the oxygen and hydroxyl termination are thermodynamically favourable and form strong C–O covalent bonds on the nanodiamond surface in an O2 and H2 gas reservoir, which confirms previous experiments. Yet, the thermodynamic stabilities of oxygen and hydroxyl functionalisation decrease dramatically in a water vapour reservoir. In contrast, H2O molecules are found to be physically adsorbed on the nanodiamond surface, and forced chemical adsorption results in decomposition of H2O. Moreover, the functionalisation efficiency is found to be facet dependent. The oxygen functionalisation prefers the {100} facets as opposed to alternative facets in an O2 and H2 gas reservoir. The hydroxyl functionalisation favors the {111} surfaces in an O2 and H2 reservoir and the {100} facets in a water vapour reservoir, respectively. This facet selectivity is found to be largely dependent upon the environmental temperature, chemical reservoir, and morphology of the nanodiamonds.

Observation and control of blinking nitrogen-vacancy centres in discrete nanodiamonds

Nitrogen-vacancy colour centres in diamond can undergo strong, spin-sensitive optical transitions under ambient conditions, which makes them attractive for applications in quantum optics, nanoscale magnetometry and biolabelling. Although nitrogen-vacancy centres have been observed in aggregated detonation nanodiamonds and milled nanodiamonds, they have not been observed in very small isolated nanodiamonds. Here, we report the first direct observation of nitrogen-vacancy centres in discrete 5-nm nanodiamonds at room temperature, including evidence for intermittency in the luminescence (blinking) from the nanodiamonds. We also show that it is possible to control this blinking by modifying the surface of the nanodiamonds.

Prediction and measurement of the size-dependent stability of fluorescence in diamond over the entire nanoscale

Fluorescent defects in noncytotoxic diamond nanoparticles are candidates for qubits in quantum computing, optical labels in biomedical imaging, and sensors in magnetometry. For each application these defects need to be optically and thermodynamically stable and included in individual particles at suitable concentrations (singly or in large numbers). In this Letter, we combine simulations, theory, and experiment to provide the first comprehensive and generic prediction of the size, temperature, and nitrogen-concentration-dependent stability of optically active N-V defects in nanodiamonds.

High yield fabrication of fluorescent nanodiamonds

A new fabrication method to produce homogeneously fluorescent nanodiamonds with high yields is described. The powder obtained by high energy ball milling of fluorescent high pressure, high temperature diamond microcrystals was converted in a pure concentrated aqueous colloidal dispersion of highly crystalline ultrasmall nanoparticles with a mean size less than or equal to 10 nm. The whole fabrication yield of colloidal quasi-spherical nanodiamonds was several orders of magnitude higher than those previously reported starting from microdiamonds. The results open up avenues for the industrial cost-effective production of fluorescent nanodiamonds with well-controlled properties.

Thermodynamic stability and electronic structure of small carbon nitride nanotubes

In order to tune the electronic properties of carbon-based nanotubes, attention is now turning to new avenues based on chemical manipulation. The introduction of nitrogen at either doping or alloying concentrations has been shown to give rise to new tubular structures and desirable electronic properties, but a detailed understanding of the strain and thermodynamic properties is still lacking. In this paper a systematic computational study of the structure and thermodynamics of small C(x)N nanotubes is presented (x = 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7). The aim of this work is to investigate which stoichiometries and atomic distributions are likely to be stable under ambient and operating conditions, thereby offering viable candidates for future synthesis efforts. In addition to this, the electronic properties of stable structures are briefly examined, to establish whether small carbon nitride nanotubes may be tailored for emerging technological applications.

Diamond at the nanoscale: applications of diamond nanoparticles from cellular biomarkers to quantum computing

Although nanocrystalline diamond powders have been produced in industrial quantities, mainly by detonation synthesis, for many decades their use in applications other than traditional polishing and grinding have been limited, until recently. This paper presents the wide-ranging applications of nanodiamond particles to date and discusses future research directions in this field. Owing to the recent commercial availability of these powders and the present interest in nanotechnology, one can predict a huge increase in research with these materials in the very near future. However, to fully exploit these materials, fundamental as well as applied research is required to understand the transition between bulk and surface properties as the size of particles decreases.

Single nitrogen vacancy centers in chemical vapor deposited diamond nanocrystals

Nanodiamond crystals containing single color centers have been grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The fluorescence from individual crystallites was directly correlated with crystallite size using a combined atomic force and scanning confocal fluorescence microscope. Under the conditions employed, the optimal size for single optically active nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center incorporation was measured to be 60-70 nm. The findings highlight a strong dependence of NV incorporation on crystal size, particularly with crystals less than 50 nm in size.