Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 3, 284 - 288 (2008)
Published online: 27 April 2008 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.99
Subject Categories: Nanomaterials | Nanoparticles | Surface patterning and imaging | Synthesis and processing
Mass production and dynamic imaging of fluorescent nanodiamonds
Yi-Ren Chang1,5, Hsu-Yang Lee1,5, Kowa Chen1, Chun-Chieh Chang2, Dung-Sheng Tsai1, Chi-Cheng Fu1, Tsong-Shin Lim1,6, Yan-Kai Tzeng1, Chia-Yi Fang1,3, Chau-Chung Han1, Huan-Cheng Chang1,3 & Wunshain Fann1,2,4
Abstract
Fluorescent nanodiamond is a new nanomaterial that possesses several useful properties, including good biocompatibility1, excellent photostability1, 2 and facile surface functionalizability2, 3. Moreover, when excited by a laser, defect centres within the nanodiamond emit photons that are capable of penetrating tissue, making them well suited for biological imaging applications1, 2, 4. Here, we show that bright fluorescent nanodiamonds can be produced in large quantities by irradiating synthetic diamond nanocrystallites with helium ions. The fluorescence is sufficiently bright and stable to allow three-dimensional tracking of a single particle within the cell by means of either one- or two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy. The excellent photophysical characteristics are maintained for particles as small as 25 nm, suggesting that fluorescent nanodiamond is an ideal probe for long-term tracking and imaging in vivo, with good temporal and spatial resolution.
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- These authors contributed equally to this work
- Present address: Department of Physics, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan
Correspondence to: Wunshain Fann1,2,4 e-mail: fann@gate.sinica.edu.tw
Correspondence to: Huan-Cheng Chang1,3 e-mail: hcchang@po.iams.sinica.edu.tw
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