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Title: Native and induced triplet nitrogen-vacancy centers in nano- and micro-diamonds: Half-field electron paramagnetic resonance fingerprint

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4865205· OSTI ID:22283157
;  [1];  [2]; ;  [3]
  1. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Polytechnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)
  2. Institut des Nano Sciences de Paris-INSP, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/UMR 7588 au CNRS, 7500 Paris (France)
  3. Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud and ENS Cachan, 91405 Orsay (France)

Multiple frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of small (4–25 nm) nanodiamonds obtained by various dynamic synthesis techniques reveals systematic presence in the half-field (HF) region a distinctive doublet fingerprint consisting of resolved g{sub HF1} = 4.26 and g{sub HF2} = 4.00 signals. This feature is attributed to “forbidden” ΔM{sub S} = 2 transitions in EPR spectra of two native paramagnetic centers of triplet (S = 1) origin designated as TR1 and TR2, characterized by zero field splitting values D{sub 1} = 0.0950 ± 0.002 cm{sup −1} and D{sub 2} = 0.030 ± 0.005 cm{sup −1}. Nanodiamonds of ∼50 nm particle size, obtained by crushing of Ib type nitrogen rich synthetic diamonds, show only HF TR2 signal whereas the same sample undergone high energy (20 MeV) electron irradiation and thermal annealing demonstrates rise of HF TR1 signal. The same HF TR1 signals appear in the process of fabrication of fluorescent nanodiamonds from micron-size synthetic diamond precursors. Results obtained allow unambiguous attribution of the half-field TR1 EPR signals with g{sub HF1} = 4.26, observed in nano- and micron-diamond powders, to triplet negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers. These signals are proposed as reliable and convenient fingerprints in both qualitative and quantitative study of fluorescent nano- and micron-diamonds.

OSTI ID:
22283157
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English