Ion Concentration and Voltage Imaging with Fluorescent Nanodiamonds

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates reversible charge state switching in fluorescent nanodiamonds and uses this to achieve sensitive, all-optical imaging of voltage and ion concentration at the nanoscale.

Contribution

It introduces a reliable method for controlling NV charge states in nanodiamonds and applies this to voltage and ion concentration imaging with high sensitivity.

Findings

Reversible switching between NV$^0$ and NV$^+$ states achieved in sub-30 nm FNDs.

Voltage imaging sensitivity up to 16 mV Hz$^{-1/2}$ demonstrated.

Ion concentration imaging sensitivity up to 1.8% per millimolar NaCl achieved.

Abstract

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond exists in different charge states with distinct photoluminescence properties, which are sensitive to the nanoscale electrochemical environment. Hence, the NV charge state is emerging as a powerful all-optical platform for nanoscale sensing and imaging. Although significant progress has been made in engineering near-surface NV centers in bulk diamond, controlling the NV charge state in fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) has proven challenging, limiting the sensitivity and reliability of FND-based charge state sensing. Here, we demonstrate reliable, reversible switching between the fluorescent NV$^0$ and non-fluorescent NV$^+$ charge states in sub-30 nm FNDs via surface oxidation and hydrogenation, respectively, for single particles and particle powder. In aqueous electrochemical cells, we demonstrate voltage and ion concentration imaging based on the NV charge state in self-assembled FND layers on transparent substrates. Applied voltages reliably modulate the FND PL with a sensitivity of up to 16 mV Hz$^{-1/2}$. Importantly, FND PL is also modulated by local changes in salt concentration with a sensitivity of up to 1.8% per millimolar NaCl, enabling all-optical imaging of ion concentration gradients at the microscale. Our results represent a significant step toward realizing fast, stable, and scalable nanoscale charge- and voltage-imaging technologies with sub-micrometer spatial resolution.