In diamond material strong covalent bonds form an inflexible three-dimensional lattice with the highest atomic density known for any material, resulting in superlative physical qualities like highest thermal conductivity, lowest coefficient of thermal expansion and highest hardness. This outstanding matrix could host equally distinguished atomic color centers. The most prominent one is the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. Owing to its inherent optical addressability and long spin coherence times, it is an outstanding spin system for quantum information and sensing applications under ambient conditions.

Fluorescent nanodiamonds are extensively investigated for biotechnology applications including drug delivery and biosensors. Here powerful quantum sensing techniques under ambient conditions with nanoscale resolution are transferred to life science. To develop efficient methods for obtaining nanodiamonds with color centers like the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is one of the topical issues of material science in view of combining nanoscale quantum sensing with bioapplications. Beside the creation of color centers by electron irradiation and thermal annealing in nanomaterial, the surface treatment of nanodiamonds is the major topic. Extensive surface cleaning and chemical modifications to stabilize the negatively charged NV-centers are required, followed by different surface functionalization with biomolecules for stable colloid solutions under cellular conditions and for instance directed transport of nanodiamonds in different biological systems or cell compartments.

Fluorescent nanodiamonds are extensively investigated for biotechnology applications including drug delivery and biosensors. Here powerful quantum sensing techniques under ambient conditions with nanoscale resolution are transferred to life science. To develop efficient methods for obtaining nanodiamonds with color centers like the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is one of the topical issues of material science in view of combining nanoscale quantum sensing with bioapplications. Beside the creation of color centers by electron irradiation and thermal annealing in nanomaterial, the surface treatment of nanodiamonds is the major topic. Extensive surface cleaning and chemical modifications to stabilize the negatively charged NV-centers are required, followed by different surface functionalization with biomolecules for stable colloid solutions under cellular conditions and for instance directed transport of nanodiamonds in different biological systems or cell compartments.