Pureon nanodiamonds power cutting-edge quantum research
A new peer-reviewed publication demonstrates how Pureon’s high-purity nanodiamonds are enabling breakthrough magnetic field sensors
At Pureon, we believe that great science begins long before a product reaches the market. For many years, we have been an active partner to universities and research institutes — supplying precision nanodiamond materials to scientists who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This commitment recently bore remarkable fruit: a team of researchers from TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany) and the Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung (IOM) Leipzig (germany) published a landmark paper in the Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology (2026) that features Pureon nanodiamonds at its core.
What the researchers achieved
The study demonstrates a new type of all-optical magnetic field sensor built from a glass optical fiber coated with a tailor-made sol-gel layer containing Pureon nanodiamonds. The nanodiamonds are not ordinary particles — they contain nitrogen-vacancy (NV⁻) centers, atomic-scale quantum defects in the diamond crystal lattice that are extraordinarily sensitive to magnetic fields.
When a magnetic field is applied, the photoluminescence (red light) emitted by the NV⁻ centers in the nanodiamonds changes measurably. The sensor detects this change through the fiber itself — no wires, no complex optics needed at the sensing tip. The result is a compact, galvanically isolated sensor that can work in harsh or remote environments where conventional sensors fail.
The sensor achieved a 15% suppression of NV⁻ photoluminescence at 50 mT — a result that surpasses earlier microwave-free diamond-based sensors reported in the literature. The sol-gel matrix, developed to be flexible, chemically resistant, and optically transparent, successfully embedded Pureon nanodiamonds at concentrations between 4 and 74 wt% without cracking or delamination..
