Fluorescent Nano-Diamond

Oct. 5, 2024

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, physicists from Purdue University in the U.S. reported levitating Fluorescent Nano-Diamonds (FNDs) in a high vacuum and spinning them very fast, paving the way for multiple applications in industry.

About Fluorescent Nano-Diamonds:

These are nanometre-sized diamonds made of carbon nanoparticles.
Properties
- They are produced in a high-temperature and high-pressure
- FNDs are stable under light and aren’t toxic to living things.
- FNDs don’t blink when irradiated for a long time.
- Their fluorescence lifespan is greater than 10 nanoseconds (ns) — a relatively long duration — which makes them better than quantum dots.
- FNDs can also be doped to enhance their electrical, magnetic, thermal, and/or optical properties.
Applications
- They have many applications in high-resolution imaging, microscale temperature sensing, and correlative microscopy, among others.
- Medical Diagnostics: In biology, scientists use FNDs to track cells and their progeny over long periods.
- They can be used as sensors in many high-value industries and strategic sectors.
- FNDs containing Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV)−centres can be used to produce the macroscopic version of the quantum superposition of electrons.