Chemical Functionalization of Nanodiamonds: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

Abstract

Nanodiamond(ND)‐based technologies are flourishing in a wide variety of fields spanning from electronics and optics to biomedicine. NDs are considered a family of nanomaterials with an sp3 carbon core and a variety of sizes, shapes, and surfaces. They show interesting physicochemical properties such as hardness, stiffness, and chemical stability. Additionally, they can undergo ad‐hoc core and surface functionalization, which tailors them for the desired applications. Noteworthy, the properties of NDs and their surface chemistry are highly dependent on the synthetic method used to prepare them. In this Minireview, we describe the preparation of NDs from the materials‐chemistry viewpoint. The different methodologies of synthesis, purification, and surface functionalization as well as biomedical applications are critically discussed. New synthetic approaches as well as limits and obstacles of NDs are presented and analyzed.

Real-time nanodiamond thermometry probing in vivo thermogenic responses

“…The nanodiamond (ND) quantum thermometers considered in the present study have emerged as a promising candidate ( 13 ), exhibiting excellent robustness ( 14 – 16 ), ultralow toxicity ( 15 , 17 ), various functionalized surfaces ( 18 , 19 ), and quantum-enhanced high sensitivity in living cells ( 20 , 21 ). The sensor reads temperature as a frequency shift of the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers, which mainly originates from thermal lattice expansion ( 22 ).…”

Nanodiamond-containing composites for tissue scaffolds and surgical implants: A review

“…Strong bonds of C-C can be formed between the surface group and the graphitic shell, while C-X bonds (where X is S, O, N, etc.) are created by methods that work based on the chemistry of ND functional groups [91,92]. Diazonium chemistry and Diels-Alder reactions have been used for the functionalization of nanodiamond graphitic shells.…”

Wide-field fluorescent nanodiamond spin measurements toward real-time large-area intracellular thermometry

“…Subcellular thermometry has great potential for studying the molecular mechanisms of temperature-related biological phenomena, such as the variation of cell-death types in photothermal cancer therapy 1 – 3 , cellular thermotaxis 4 – 8 , and cellular level thermogenesis 9 – 13 . Nanodiamond (ND) spin-based thermometry is a novel opto-microwave hybrid technique that can probe subcellular temperatures with distinct photostability 14 – 18 , various functionalized surfaces 19 – 21 , and low cytotoxicity 22 – 26 . The technique is based on optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of electron spins in diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) color defect centers, where the fluorescence of NDs is measured under microwave irradiation to detect the fluorescence decrease at an electron spin resonance of about 2.87 GHz 27 – 30 .…”