Project Details
Projekt
Bringing diamond quantum sensors into application in biology and chemistry
Applicant
Professor Dr. Dominik Benjamin Bucher
Subject Area
Biophysics
Term
from 2015 to 2017
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 277454479
Major advances and insights in natural sciences are often catalyzed by the development of innovative experimental tools. In recent years a new experimental technique based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond has been established which is a combination of sensitive fluorescence microscopy and NMR/MRI techniques. The fluorescence of these defects in the diamond lattice is sensitive to external influences like magnetic and electric fields. This property enables the ultrasensitive measurement of magnetic fields on the nanoscale, for example the detection of single electron or nuclear spins as well as magnetic fields in living cells. Whereas many experiments have demonstrated the extraordinary properties of this quantum sensor, biological and chemical problems have not been addressed directly so far. That is why the main aim of this proposal is to bring the diamond quantum sensors into application in biology and chemistry. The outstanding properties of this nanosensor shall be used to detect magnetic plaques in the brains of Alzheimers and Parkinsons patients. In addition, the NV-centers shall be used to determine the activity of neurons and to identify single DNA molecules. These experiments will give new insights into current biological and biochemical problems.
DFG Programme
Research Fellowships
International Connection
USA
