Search

Efficient polarization of organic molecules is of extraordinary relevance when performing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and imaging. Commercially available routes to dynamical nuclear polarization (DNP) work at extremely low temperatures, relying on the solidification of organic samples and thus bringing the molecules out of their ambient thermal conditions. In this work, we investigate polarization transfer from optically pumped nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond to external molecules at room temperature. This polarization transfer is described by both an extensive analytical analysis and numerical simulations based on spin bath bosonization and is supported by experimental data in excellent agreement. These results set the route to hyperpolarization of diffusive molecules in different scenarios and consequently, due to an increased signal, to high-resolution NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanometer-sizeddiamonds containing nitrogen-vacancy defect centers(NV) are promising nanosensors in biological environments due to theirbiocompatibility, bright fluorescence, and high magnetic sensitivityat ambient conditions. Here we report on the detection of ferritinmolecules using magnetic noise induced by the inner paramagnetic ironas a contrast mechanism. We observe a significant reduction of bothcoherence and relaxation time due to the presence of ferritin on thesurface of nanodiamonds. Our theoretical model is in excellent agreementwith the experimental data and establishes this method as a novelsensing technology for proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]