Using Stanford's powerful SSRL X-ray tools, researchers from SJSU have finally discovered the mechanism behind how nanodiamond coating works.
explains that this defect allows the diamonds to respond to magnetic fields, electric fields, and light, all at room temperature. As a result, nanodiamonds have numerous applications, including being used as qubits, the basic unit for a quantum computer. Additionally, biologists can use them to track living cells as they move by hitting them with green light and observing them glow red.
at the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to study coated nanodiamonds in unprecedented detail. After countless hours of study, they found that the presence of alcohol chemical groups on a diamond's surface plays a significant role in the process. This discovery could lead to improved silica-coated nanodiamonds, which have various applications ranging from the biolabeling of cancer cells to quantum sensing.