Eu, Gd-Codoped Yttria Nanoprobes for Optical and T₁-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Nanoprobes with multimodal functionality have attracted significant interest recently because of their potential applications in nanomedicine. This paper reports the successful development of lanthanide-doped Y₂O₃ nanoprobes for potential applications in optical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The morphology, structural, and optical properties of these nanoprobes were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and photoluminescence (PL). The cytotoxicity test showed that the prepared lanthanide-doped Y₂O₃ nanoprobes have good biocompatibility. The obvious contrast enhancement in the T₁-weighted MR images suggested that these nanoprobes can be used as a positive contrast agent in MRI. In addition, the clear fluorescence images of the L-929 cells incubated with the nanoprobes highlight their potential for optical imaging. Overall, these results suggest that prepared lanthanide-doped Y₂O₃ nanoprobes can be used for simultaneous optical and MR imaging.