Wet chemistry route to hydrophobic blue fluorescent nanodiamond.

Hydrophobic blue fluorescent nanodiamond was synthesized by covalent linking of octadecylamine to the surface of nanodiamond particles. The material is easily dispersible in hydrophobic solvents, forming a transparent colloidal solution, and can be used in those applications where stable dispersions of nanodiamond in fuels, polymers or oils are required. Bright blue fluorescence of the octadecylamine-modified nanodiamond opens up new avenues for its use as a non-toxic quantum dot analogue for biomedical imaging of cellular membranes and other hydrophobic components of biological systems. Similar surface modification can be used for other carbon nanoparticles.