Novel synthesis and properties of pure and NV-doped nanodiamonds and other nanostructures

We report a novel method for synthesis and processing of pure and nitrogen-vacancy (NV)-doped nanodiamonds with sharp NV0 and NV− transitions at ambient temperatures and pressures in air. Carbon films are melted by nanosecond lasers in super undercooled state and quenched rapidly. We can form single-crystal nanodiamonds, microdiamonds, nanoneedles and microneedles, and large-area films. Substitutional nitrogen atoms and vacancies are incorporated into diamond during rapid liquid-phase growth, where dopant concentrations can far exceed thermodynamic solubility limits through solute trapping. These nanodiamonds can be placed deterministically and the transitions between NV− and NV0 can be controlled electrically and optically by laser illumination.