title: Bright fluorescent nanodiamonds: no photobleaching and low cytotoxicity.
abstract: Diamond nanocrystals emit bright fluorescence at 600-800 nm after irradiation by a 3 MeV proton beam (5 x 1015 ions/cm2) and annealing at 800 degrees C (2 h) in vacuum. The irradiation/annealing process yields high concentrations of nitrogen-vacancy defect centers ( approximately 107 centers/mum3), making possible visualization of the individual 100 nm diamond crystallites using a fluorescence microscope. The fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) show no sign of photobleaching and can be taken up by mammalian cells with minimal cytotoxicity. The nanomaterial can have far-reaching biological applications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 106, ROC.
authors.forename: Shu-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Ming-Wei
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Huan-Cheng
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kuan-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yueh-Chung
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D018130:Diamond / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D038761:Photobleaching; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D018130:Diamond; C022616:thiazolyl blue