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Spin-lattice relaxation of NV centers in nanodiamonds adsorbed on conducting and nonconducting surfaces

Izidor Benedičič1, Yuri Tanuma1, Žiga Gosar1,2, Bastien Anézo1,3, Mariusz Mrózek4, Adam Wojciechowski4, and Denis Arčon1,2,*

  • *Contact author: denis.arcon@ijs.si
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Phys. Rev. B 111, 235421 – Published 10 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1s53-5wls

Abstract

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamonds can be utilized as low-cost, highly versatile quantum sensors for studying surface properties in condensed matter physics through the application of relaxometry protocols. For such applications, a detailed knowledge of the intrinsic relaxation processes of NV centers in nanodiamonds is necessary. Here, we study the spin-lattice relaxation rates of NV ensembles in nanodiamonds with average diameters of 40 nm and 3 µm between room temperature and ∼6K. The NV relaxation curves fit to a stretched-exponential form with a stretching exponent α≈0.7, implying the large distribution of relaxation times of individual centers within nanodiamonds. We determine the Orbach-like scattering on phonons as the leading relaxation mechanism. Finally, we discuss the viability of nanodiamonds as surface sensors when deposited on a metallic substrate and emphasize the need for well-controlled surface preparation techniques.

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Phys. Rev. B 111, 235421– Published 10 June, 2025
  • Received 27 February 2025
  • Revised 20 May 2025
  • Accepted 21 May 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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