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Nanodiamonds (NDs) are carbon nanomaterials with a size of a few nanometers to micrometres that have many potential applications.
They are produced in a high-temperature and high-pressure process.
They can be doped with nitrogen atoms to form nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres, which host electron spin qubits.
Just like a binary bit is the basic unit of information in classical (or traditional) computing, a qubit (or quantum bit) is the basic unit of information in quantum computing.
Fluorescence is the property of some materials to emit light of a lower frequency when irradiated with light of a higher frequency. But unlike many other nano-scale fluorescent materials, NDs don’t blink when irradiated for a long time.
Their fluorescence lifespan is greater than 10 nanoseconds (ns), a relatively long duration, which makes them better than quantum dots.
They are stable under light, non-toxic, and capable of maintaining fluorescence for long periods.
Quantum dotsThey are tiny particles or nanocrystals of a semiconducting material with diameters in the range of 2-10 nanometers (10-50 atoms). They are nanoparticles made from semiconducting materials. The dots show quantum effects because of their small size. This means that electrons inside the dot are trapped and can only occupy defined energy levels. They were first discovered in 1980. |
Spin is one of the basic features of the building blocks of matter, like electrons and nuclei.
At any given moment, its value is a combination of two states called up and down.
If the down component is zero, the spin will be up, and vice versa.
A computer can map these values to 0s and 1s and use the electrons to encode information. Manipulating the spin forms the basis of quantum computing.
The Berry phase concept was introduced by physicist Michael Berry in 1986, following earlier work by Indian physicist S. Pancharatnam.
The Berry phase is a geometric phase acquired throughout a cycle when a system's parameters are varied and then returned to their original values.
Electrons exhibit both particle and wave characteristics. As waves, they possess properties such as frequency, wavelength, and phase, which can change depending on external conditions.
The Berry phase reflects changes in an electron's wave phase when cycled through different quantum states.
Electrons can be manipulated by altering energy levels through magnetic fields. This allows researchers to create a cycle of states, which helps in the measurement of the Berry phase.
The Berry phase generated by the rotation of the FNDs could be applied to create a gyroscope for rotation sensing.
NDs are stable under light and aren’t toxic to living things, so they have many applications in high-resolution imaging, microscale temperature sensing, and correlative microscopy, among others.
In biology, scientists use NDs to track cells and their progeny over long periods.
NDs are biocompatible and can be used for cell labelling and imaging, targeted drug delivery, and cancer therapy.
NDs are used in thin-film electronics, photovoltaic devices, energy storage devices, and electrochemical sensors.
NDs are used in quantum optics and nano-magnetometry.
Quantum optics: It is the study of the quantum properties of light.Nano-magnetometry: It is a technique that uses AC sensing schemes to measure magnetic fields at the nanoscale. |
Levitating NDs in a high vacuum and spinning them very fast sounds like a simple, even comical, feat but is quite difficult. And now that it has been successfully demonstrated, it paves the way for multiple applications in industry, especially as sensors, and in fundamental research.
Important articles for refrence
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q.What do you understand about Nanodots and how their unique properties make them an important nano-material for multiple applications?(250 words) |
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