Silicon-Vacancy-Doped Nanodiamonds for Molecular and Cellular Imaging

摘要

An imaging agent for detecting analytes in a biological environment includes functionalized, silicon vacancy center-containing nanodiamonds. Individual nanodiamonds of the imaging agent include at least one silicon vacancy center. The at least one silicon vacancy center can emit light having a wavelength in a narrow band in response to illumination having any wavelength in a wide range of wavelengths. The nanodiamonds are functionalized to selectively interact with an analyte of interest. The nanodiamonds can additionally include other color centers, and the imaging agent can include a plurality of sets of nanodiamonds having detectably unique ratios of silicon vacancy centers to other color centers. The silicon vacancy centers in the nanodiamonds can have a preferred orientation enabling orientation tracking of individual nanodiamonds or other applications. A method for detecting properties of the analyte of interest by interacting with the imaging agent is also provided.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
exposing a biological environment to illumination, wherein the biological environment includes silicon-vacancy nanodiamonds, wherein each of the silicon-vacancy nanodiamonds has at least one silicon vacancy center and is functionalized to selectively interact with an analyte in the biological environment, and wherein the illumination causes the silicon vacancy centers to emit light; and detecting one or more properties of the light emitted by the silicon vacancy centers in response to the illumination.