Nanodiamonds for optical bioimaging

Diamond has received increasing attention for its promising biomedical applications. The material is highly biocompatible and can be easily conjugated with bioactive molecules. Recently, nanoscale diamond has been applied as light scattering labels and luminescent optical markers. The luminescence, arising from photoexcitation of colour centres, can be substantially enhanced when type Ib diamond nanocrystals are bombarded by a high-energy particle beam and then annealed to form negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centres. The centre absorbs strongly at 560 nm, fluoresces efficiently in the far-red region and is exceptionally photostable (without photoblinking and photobleaching). It is an ideal candidate for long-term imaging and tracking in complex cellular environments. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of fluorescent nanodiamonds for optical bioimaging with single particle sensitivity and nanometric resolution.