High-precision chemical quantum sensing in flowing monodisperse microdroplets
Apr 30, 2024
12 pages
Published in:
- Sci.Adv. 10 (2024) 50, adp4033
- Published: Dec 13, 2024
e-Print:
- 2404.19313 [quant-ph]
View in:
Citations per year
Abstract: (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
A method is presented for high-precision chemical detection that integrates quantum sensing with droplet microfluidics. Using nanodiamonds (ND) with fluorescent nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers as quantum sensors, rapidly flowing microdroplets containing analyte molecules are analyzed. A noise-suppressed mode of optically detected magnetic resonance is enabled by pairing controllable flow with microwave control of NV electronic spins, to detect analyte-induced signals of a few hundredths of a percent of the ND fluorescence. Using this method, paramagnetic ions in droplets are detected with low limit-of-detection using small analyte volumes, with exceptional measurement stability over >103 s. In addition, these droplets are used as microconfinement chambers by co-encapsulating ND quantum sensors with various analytes such as single cells, suggesting wide-ranging applications including single-cell metabolomics and real-time intracellular measurements from bioreactors. Important advances are enabled by this work, including portable chemical testing devices, amplification-free chemical assays, and chemical imaging tools for probing reactions within microenvironments.References(88)
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