Bottom-Up Synthesis of Molecular Nanodiamond from Nanographene

Nanodiamonds hosting colour centres are promising building blocks for quantum technologies, enabling advances in quantum computation1,2, nanoscale NMR spectroscopy3–6, single-spin magnetometry7,8, wide-field quantum imaging9 and single-photon sources10,11. However, the controlled bottom-up synthesis of ultrasmall and structurally uniform nanodiamonds has remained a major challenge, with existing methods producing heterogeneous materials that vary in size, morphology, impurity content and defect quality. Here we show that well-defined, hydrogen-terminated molecular nanographenes serve as chemically confined precursors for high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis of ultrasmall (3–4 nm), monodisperse and highly crystalline molecular nanodiamonds (m-NDs) with only a single sp² surface reconstruction and produced on a milligram scale. The same bottom-up platform also enables a two-component strategy for incorporating silicon- and germanium-based colour centres during synthesis, yielding SiV⁻ and GeV⁻ emitters without ion implantation, irradiation or post-treatment.

Because the nanographene precursor defines both the confined carbon framework and the hydrogen content, this approach provides intrinsic, precursor-level control over nanodiamond size and composition, particularly in the low-nanometre regime relevant for biological and quantum sensing. Molecular nanographenes, ultralarge polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, therefore establish a scalable and modular route to high-quality molecular and fluorescent nanodiamonds and offer a general design principle for tailored quantum materials and nanoscale devices. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout These authors contributed equally: Jiaxu Liang, Christopher P. Ender Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, Mainz, Germany

Jiaxu Liang, Christopher P. Ender, Nancy C. Forero-Martinez, Jingyi Liu, Xin Yang, Yizhi Liu, Tobias Eklund, Kilian Lee Gallo, Rüdiger Berger, Katrin Amann-Winkel, Manfred Wagner, Klaus Müllen, Gábor Csányi, Robinson Cortes-Huerto, Yingke Wu & Tanja Weil Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, Frankfurt, Germany Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany Nancy C. Forero-Martinez, Tobias Eklund & Katrin Amann-Winkel

Engineering Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Trumpington St, Cambridge, UK Institute for Quantum Optics and Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology (IQST), Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, Germany Raul Gonzalez Brouwer, Lev Kazak, Rémi Blinder, Fabian Rohmann, Andreas Tangemann, Alexander Kubanek & Fedor Jelezko Department of Colloid Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam, Germany

INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, Saarbrücken, Germany Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany Institute for X-Ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, Göttingen, Germany Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, Hamburg, Germany

MLIP simulation showing the evolution of the m-NG precursor at 1,500 K under increasing pressure. The sp2-sp3 rehybridization starts at 42 GPa. Colours: Blue, sp² carbon; green, sp³ carbon; red, hydrogen. MLIP simulation showing the evolution of the m-NG precursor at 200 K under increasing pressure.

The sp2-sp3 rehybridization starts at 60 GPa. Colours: Blue, sp² carbon; green, sp³ carbon; red, hydrogen MLIP simulation showing the evolution of the m-NG precursor at 0 K under increasing pressure. The sp2-sp3 rehybridization starts at 93 GPa.

Colours: Blue, sp² carbon; green, sp³ carbon; red, hydrogen Ab initio simulation showing the evolution of the m-NG precursor at 0 K under increasing pressure. The sp2-sp3 rehybridization starts at 78 GPa. Colours: Blue, sp² carbon; green, sp³ carbon; red, hydrogen.

Liang, J., Ender, C.P., Forero-Martinez, N.C. et al. Bottom-Up Synthesis of Molecular Nanodiamond from Nanographene. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10669-3 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

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