title: Spatially controlled fabrication of a bright fluorescent nanodiamond-array with enhanced far-red Si-V luminescence.
abstract: We demonstrate a novel approach to precisely pattern fluorescent nanodiamond-arrays with enhanced far-red intense photostable luminescence from silicon-vacancy (Si-V) defect centers. The precision-patterned pre-growth seeding of nanodiamonds is achieved by a scanning probe 'dip-pen' nanolithography technique using electrostatically driven transfer of nanodiamonds from 'inked' cantilevers to a UV-treated hydrophilic SiO2 substrate. The enhanced emission from nanodiamond dots in the far-red is achieved by incorporating Si-V defect centers in a subsequent chemical vapor deposition treatment. The development of a suitable nanodiamond ink and mechanism of ink transport, and the effect of humidity and dwell time on nanodiamond patterning are investigated. The precision patterning of as-printed (pre-CVD) arrays with dot diameter and dot height as small as 735 nm ± 27 nm and 61 nm ± 3 nm, respectively, and CVD-treated fluorescent ND-arrays with consistently patterned dots having diameter and height as small as 820 nm ± 20 nm and, 245 nm ± 23 nm, respectively, using 1 s dwell time and 30% RH is successfully achieved. We anticipate that the far-red intense photostable luminescence (~738 nm) observed from Si-V defect centers integrated in spatially arranged nanodiamonds could be beneficial for the development of next generation fluorescence-based devices and applications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration (CNMB), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35294-1170, USA. Department of Physics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35294-1170, USA.
authors.forename: Sonal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Vinoy
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Dmitry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martyshkin
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kozlovskaya
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kharlampieva
authors.forename: Shane A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Catledge
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006813:Humidity; D008027:Light; D049449:Luminescence; D008422:Materials Testing; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D058612:Nanodiamonds / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010777:Photochemistry; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D058612:Nanodiamonds; D012825:Silicon