On March 4, Tianjin University of Technology made a notable announcement: Li Pei, a young faculty member from the university's School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, the Beijing Computational Science Research Center, and Hungary's Wigner Research Centre for Physics, has achieved a major breakthrough in quantum sensing technology. Their findings have been published in the prestigious international journal Nature Materials.

The research team tackled the problem of signal interference that arises from 532 nm green light excitation in diamond nitrogen-vacancy color center quantum sensors when used for in vivo applications. To overcome this, they innovatively adopted a low-temperature alkene molecule chemical modification technique to construct a protective organic carbon chain layer on the surface of silicon carbide. This breakthrough led to the successful development of a bio-inert quantum sensing platform that remains stable at room temperature.

The excitation and emission bands of this new platform both lie within the near-infrared biological window, which is characterized by low absorption and minimal background fluorescence. This unique feature enables the non-invasive detection of magnetic field signals in complex biological environments. This advancement not only boosts the sensitivity and stability of quantum sensors but also paves the way for new applications of quantum technology in the biomedical field. Potential future uses include quantum nuclear magnetic resonance detection, single-molecule magnetic resonance imaging, and precision medical testing.