Functionality is Key: Recent Progress in the Surface Modification of Nanodiamond

Abstract

Nanoscale diamond has recently received considerable attention due to the various possible applications such as luminescence imaging, drug delivery, quantum engineering, surface coatings, seeding etc. For most of these fields a suitable surface termination and functionalization of the diamond materials are required. In this feature article we discuss recent achievements in the field of surface modification of nanoscale diamond including the establishment of a homogeneous initial surface termination, the covalent and non-covalent immobilization of different functional moieties as well as the subsequent grafting of larger (bio)molecules onto previously functionalized nanodiamond.

Enhanced photoluminescence from single nitrogen-vacancy defects in nanodiamonds coated with phenol-ionic complexes

“…[4][5][6] In addition, they can host photostable optically active defects, such as the nitrogen vacancy (NV) or the silicon vacancy (SiV) that have already been shown as effective bioimaging probes. [7][8][9][10] Moreover, single NV defects can be leveraged for high resolution magnetometry and sensing of single spins and individual biomolecules with unprecedented sensitivity.…”

Nanodiamonds with silicon vacancy defects for nontoxic photostable fluorescent labeling of neural precursor cells

“…First, atomic changes in ND structure produces bright optical defects that possess unrivalled photostability, even for the smallest NDs (~5-10 nm) [4,5]. Second, being made of carbon, they are biocompatible, non-toxic and highly amenable to surface functionalization, enabling the conjugation of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins [6][7][8]. Despite these promising features, further improvement of the optical properties of NDs could enhance their utility as fluorescent biomarkers.…”

Photoacoustic molecular imaging with functional nanoparticles

“…62 So as a unique quasi one-dimensional material, they have been explored as novel delivery vehicles for drugs, 63 proteins 64 and so on. Another intrinsic property of SWNTs is their strong optical absorbance in the NIR region, [65][66][67][68] which makes SWNTs appropriate to be used as agents for PAI.…”