ODMR active bright sintered detonation nanodiamonds obtained without irradiation
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-01-01 |
| Journal | Физика и техника полупроводников |
| Authors | K. V. Likhachev, M. V. Uchaev, I. D. Breev, A. V. Ankudinov, R. A. Babunts |
| Institutions | ITMO University, Ioffe Institute |
| Analysis | Full AI Review Included |
ODMR Active Bright Sintered Detonation Nanodiamonds
Section titled “ODMR Active Bright Sintered Detonation Nanodiamonds”Executive Summary
Section titled “Executive Summary”This research details the synthesis and characterization of high-quality, single-crystalline diamond microcrystals (SDNDs) produced by sintering detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) under HPHT conditions.
- Novel Synthesis Route: Optically active Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers (NV0 and NV-) are spontaneously formed during HPHT sintering, eliminating the need for expensive and complex post-ssynthesis high-energy particle irradiation and annealing.
- High Crystalline Quality: Raman spectroscopy confirms the SDNDs exhibit the characteristic 1333 cm-1 peak, indicating a crystalline quality comparable to natural diamond.
- Low Internal Stress: ODMR measurements show the SDNDs have a zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameter (2E = 12.2 ± 0.2 MHz) that is significantly lower than typical synthetic HPHT diamonds (2E = 16.2 ± 0.3 MHz), indicating superior crystalline perfection and reduced internal stress.
- Material Output: The process yields single-crystal diamonds ranging from 0.1 µm up to 15 µm in size, formed via an oriented attachment mechanism.
- Quantum Sensing Potential: The bright, stable NV centers in these low-stress crystals position them as excellent candidates for advanced quantum magnetometry applications.
- Practical Application Demonstrated: A simple, accessible method was demonstrated for fixing SDND particles onto a commercial silicon AFM probe tip, enabling nanosensor fabrication.
Technical Specifications
Section titled “Technical Specifications”| Parameter | Value | Unit | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Material Size | 4-5 | nm | Initial Detonation Nanodiamond (DND) particles |
| Sintering Pressure (P) | ~7 | GPa | High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) conditions |
| Sintering Temperature (T) | 1300-1700 | °C | HPHT synthesis temperature range |
| Sintering Duration | 8-15 | s | Short synthesis time |
| Product Crystal Size | 0.1-15 | µm | Sintered Detonation Nanodiamond (SDND) microcrystals |
| Raman Shift (SDND) | 1333 | cm-1 | Characteristic diamond line, confirming high quality |
| NV- ZFS Splitting (SDND) | 2E = 12.2 ± 0.2 | MHz | Measure of internal stress (lower value indicates higher quality) |
| NV- ZFS Splitting (Natural Diamond) | 2E = 8.8 ± 0.1 | MHz | Reference for high-quality natural diamond |
| NV- ZFS Splitting (Synthetic HPHT) | 2E = 16.2 ± 0.3 | MHz | Reference for standard synthetic diamond (higher stress) |
| NV0 Null-Phonon Line | 575 | nm | Photoluminescence peak |
| NV- Null-Phonon Line | 638 | nm | Photoluminescence peak |
| ODMR Measurement Temp | 300 | K | Room Temperature (RT) |
| AFM Probe Stiffness (k) | 4 | N/m | Standard silicon probe used for nanosensor fabrication |
Key Methodologies
Section titled “Key Methodologies”- HPHT Sintering: Detonation nanodiamonds (4-5 nm) were subjected to extreme conditions (P ~ 7 GPa, T ~ 1300-1700 °C) for a short duration (8-15 s) in the presence of hydrocarbons (hexane).
- Crystal Growth: Single-crystal microdiamonds (up to 15 µm) were formed via the oriented attachment mechanism, resulting in high-quality crystals free of metal catalysts.
- Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy: Used with 532 nm excitation to confirm the spontaneous formation of optically active NV0 and NV- centers (identified by their 575 nm and 638 nm null-phonon lines, respectively).
- Raman Spectroscopy: Used to verify the high crystalline quality of the synthesized material by observing the sharp characteristic diamond peak at 1333 cm-1.
- Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR): Performed at 300 K in the 2.8-2.95 GHz range to measure the zero-field splitting parameter (E), providing a quantitative assessment of internal crystal stress and structural perfection.
- Nanosensor Fabrication: SDND particles were successfully fixed onto a commercial silicon AFM probe using UV-cured urethane acrylic adhesive, demonstrating a simple method for creating diamond-based quantum sensors.
Commercial Applications
Section titled “Commercial Applications”The high-quality, low-stress SDNDs with bright, intrinsic NV centers are highly valuable for advanced sensing and quantum technologies.
- Quantum Magnetometry: Serving as the active element in nanoscale magnetic field sensors, leveraging the spin properties of the NV- center for high-resolution measurements.
- AFM-Based Nanosensing: Enabling the mass production of modified AFM probes for scanning quantum sensing, used in magnetic domain imaging and visualization of electrical currents.
- Quantum Computing and Information: Potential use as stable, solid-state qubits or spin memory registers due to the high crystalline perfection and low decoherence environment.
- Biomarkers and Bio-Sensing: Utilizing the photostability and non-toxicity of NV centers for high-contrast biological imaging, tracking, and sensing of biological processes (e.g., temperature or pH).
- Materials Characterization: Providing highly localized stress and strain mapping within other materials using the NV center’s sensitivity to local crystal fields.
View Original Abstract
We present the results of study the structure and composition of microcrystalline diamonds obtained by high-pressure high temperature sintering of detonation nanodiamond particles. Using optical detected magnetic resonance method, photoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy we found sintering of detonation nanodiamond significantly differ from initial detonation nanodiamonds and can be compared to high quality diamonds. Monocrystals of diamonds obtained by the method of oriented attachment have dimensions of up to tens of microns, possess the habitus of high-quality diamonds, and do not contain metal catalysts in the lattice structure. In those crystals, the presence of optically active nitrogen impurities in the crystal lattice is observed. In particular, there is a bright nitrogen-vacancy defects. They are characterized by optical detected magnetic resonance method, which shows that spin properties of the obtained single crystals correspond to high-quality natural diamonds and surpass synthetic diamonds obtained from graphite in the presence of metal catalysts, followed by irradiation and annealing to obtain nitrogen-vacancy defects optical defects in the diamond lattice. The presence of nitrogen-vacancy defects defects and the high-quality of the crystal structure of sintering of detonation nanodiamond allows us to consider them as potential candidates in quantum magnetometry. For this purpose, the possibility of a simple way to improve the AFM probe by fixing a microcrystalline sintering of detonation nanodiamond particle on its tip is demonstrated. Keywords: detonation nanodiamond, HPHT sintering, ODMR, single crystalline, photoluminescence, defects.