Molecular sensing with single NV centers in diamond*

The field of nano-NMR aims to elucidate the composition and structure of matter using drastically reduced sensing volumes, ideally reaching the single- to few-molecule regime. One modality leverages the long-lived electronic spin of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond to detect the minute dipolar fields generated by nuclear spins in external molecules. In this talk, I will discuss diamond fabrication and surface treatments developed in our group to improve detection sensitivity while enabling highly generalizable molecular surface functionalization. Finally, I will discuss progress in using our NV-NMR platform to detect conformational changes in DNA molecules attached to the diamond interface.