Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Synthesis of Immunotargeted Magneto-plasmonic Nanoclusters
Published on: August 22, 2014
A magnetoplasmonic imaging agent for copper(I) with dual response by MRI and dark field microscopy
Evan A Weitz1, Cutler Lewandowski, Eric D Smolensky
1Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Abstract:
We present the design and synthesis of a responsive magnetoplasmonic assembly for copper(I) which allows monitoring of the concentration of the metal both in three dimensions by magnetic resonance imaging and with high spatial resolution by dark field microscopy. The probe consists of azide-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles 11.6 nm in diameter and acetylene-terminated gold nanoparticles 44 nm in diameter that form three-dimensional networks of intermingled magnetic and plasmonic nanoparticles in the presence of copper. This aggregation results in a decrease in longitudinal relaxivity, and an initial increase followed by a sharp decrease in transverse relaxivity, a change observable both by T1- and T2-weighted images, concomitantly with a decrease of surface plasmon resonance intensity.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Magnetic Resonance Imaging
03:02Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.