Multimodal bioimaging using nanodiamond and gold hybrid nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Hybrid nanomaterials combine unique properties of constituent components.
• Nanodiamonds and gold nanoparticles offer distinct optical and physical characteristics.
• Tailored nanomaterials are crucial for advanced biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel hybrid nanodiamond-gold (ND@Au) core-shell nanoparticles.
• To evaluate the potential of ND@Au nanoparticles for multifunctional biomedical applications.
• To demonstrate bioimaging capabilities using various modalities.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ND@Au core-shell nanoparticles with Si-vacancy doped nanodiamond cores.
• Characterization of nanoparticle properties including optical and spectroscopic features.
• In vitro and in vivo bioimaging studies in cellular and zebrafish models.

Main Results:

• ND@Au nanoparticles exhibit distinct Raman signals from nanodiamond and fluorescence from Si-vacancy centers.
• Nanogold shells provide two-photon excited fluorescence and X-ray absorption.
• Demonstrated utility in Raman mapping, fluorescence imaging, TP-FLIM, and hard-X-ray microscopy.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid ND@Au nanoparticles represent a multifunctional platform for biomedical applications.
• The combined properties enable diverse imaging modalities and potential theranostic functions.
• These nanoparticles offer tunable properties for tailored diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.