Award Abstract # 2213520
LEAPS-MPS: Electric field sensing with nitrogen vacancy centers and chemical tuning of the diamond host

NSF Org: DMR
Division Of Materials Research
Recipient: SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Initial Amendment Date: April 11, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: April 11, 2022
Award Number: 2213520
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Paul Lane
plane@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2453
DMR
 Division Of Materials Research
MPS
 Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Start Date: September 1, 2022
End Date: August 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $231,696.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $231,696.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $231,696.00
History of Investigator:
  • Abraham Wolcott (Principal Investigator)
    abraham.wolcott@sjsu.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: San Jose State University Foundation
210 N 4TH ST FL 4
SAN JOSE
CA  US  95112-5569
(408)924-1400
Sponsor Congressional District: 18
Primary Place of Performance: San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose
CA  US  95112-5569
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
18
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): LJBXV5VF2BT9
Parent UEI: LJBXV5VF2BT9
NSF Program(s): OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC
Primary Program Source: 010V2122DB R&RA ARP Act DEFC V
Program Reference Code(s): 102Z, 1253, 7203, 7234, 7237
Program Element Code(s): 125300
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049

ABSTRACT

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Non-technical Description. Diamond has many properties that make it valuable well beyond its use as a gemstone. Notably, diamond hosts a sensitive detector of magnetic and electric fields: the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center. Such NV centers can be used to sense magnetic objects and have potential for use as quantum bits (qubits) in the quantum computers of the future. Diamond?s chemical inertness, its reluctance to change or be modified, is both a challenge and an opportunity for materials chemists, physicists and engineers. Changing chemical bonds on the surface of diamond allows for the attachment of molecular groups and anchoring points for measurement and detection. In this LEAPS-MPS project, the PI and his team will explore the surface chemistry of diamond and investigate how the light given off by the NV center changes with an applied voltage. The surface chemistry of nanoscale diamonds and the behavior of the NV center will be simultaneously examined with the long-term aim of making a more advanced quantum sensor. Undergraduate students will learn advanced chemistry and spectroscopy techniques, including use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. Recruitment of talent is in collaboration with the Black Leadership and Opportunity Center (BLOC) and other student-based organizations at San Jose State University. This project will provide rigorous and wide-ranging research experiences to prepare scientists and engineers for a successful career by providing the skills to execute a research project, manage troubleshooting, prepare an impactful research presentation and build their resume for future success.

Technical Description. In this LEAPS-MPS project, the PI will explore new routes to chemically activate the surface of nanoscale high-pressure high-temperature nanoscale diamonds 25 to 100 nm in size to generate new covalent bonds and examine the photophysics of NV centers. By tuning the surface dipole moment of the diamond host, researchers will investigate a largely unexplored space of NV voltage sensing with spectroelectrochemistry. Activation of the diamond surface will occur with wet chemistry under inert conditions and a series of nucleophiles are reacted with the ?activated? diamond constructs. Confirmation of the atomic and molecular structure of the diamond constructs will occur with overlapping surface sensitive techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopies at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The surface modified samples are deposited onto transparent conducting electrodes and NV center fluorescence is tracked as a function of applied voltage in a custom microscope. A series of voltage sweep parameters are modified to understand how the NV center can toggle between its fluorescent charge states. A working model is then generated to explain the NV center fluorescent properties as a function of surface dipole moment, charge density and charge identity. This diamond project is conducted by a highly diverse cohort of researchers from many disciplines including the physical sciences, life sciences and engineering disciplines. Researchers acquire an advanced skill set during the project cycle and will be able to successfully apply to PhD programs, work at national laboratories or enter into industrial positions upon graduation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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