Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond for bio-sensing

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are color-defects in the diamond crystal lattice which have raised a lot of attention in the last decades for their promising sensing capabilities (especially for magnetic field and temperature), based on spin-dependent photoluminescence. Moreover, diamond biocompatibility and good sensitivity at room temperature naturally lead to biological applications. Both bulk diamond and nanodiamonds can be used in this context, each presenting its own advantages and challenges.
In this presentation, I’ll describe our recent results in both directions. On one side I'll discuss how diamond chips can be nanostructured and used as substrates for cellular growth. On the other, I'll show how nanodiamonds can be used for nanoscale thermometry inside cells. Both approaches can be combined with existing measurements techniques and give new insights on many biological processes which are still not completely understood.