Abstract
Nanoparticles exhibiting both magnetic and luminescent properties are need of the hour for many biological applications. A single compound exhibiting this combination of properties is uncommon. Herein, we report a strategy to synthesize a bifunctional luminomagnetic Gd2−xEuxO3 (x = 0.05 to 0.5) nanorod, with a diameter of ~20 nm and length in ~0.6 μm, using hydrothermal method. Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods have been characterized by studying its structural, optical and magnetic properties. The advantage offered by photoluminescent imaging with Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods is that this ultrafine nanorod material exhibits hypersensitive intense red emission (610 nm) with good brightness (quantum yield more than 90%), which is an essential parameter for high-contrast bioimaging, especially for overcoming auto fluorescent background. The utility of luminomagnetic nanorods for biological applications in high-contrast cell imaging capability and cell toxicity to image two human breast cancer cell lines T47D and MDA-MB-231 are also evaluated. Additionally, to understand the significance of shape of the nanostructure, the photoluminescence and paramagnetic characteristic of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods were compared with the spherical nanoparticles of Gd2O3:Eu3+.
Highlights
Bifunctional nanomaterials that possess desirable properties in a single entity have been the focus of cutting edge science in recent years[1,2,3,4,5]
The balanced chemical reactions of entire process are shown in supplementary section
The gross structural analysis and phase compositions of the samples were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD)
Summary
Bifunctional nanomaterials that possess desirable properties in a single entity have been the focus of cutting edge science in recent years[1,2,3,4,5]. The on and off switch of their luminescence, known as flickering and blinking, is detrimental for their potential applications[3,9] In this context, lanthanide-based inorganic materials with outstanding optical and magnetic properties are interesting alternatives for applications such as biomarkers, sensors, and contrast agents in MRI. The present study is aimed at the synthesis of high quality ultra-fine europium doped gadolinium oxide (Gd2−xEuxO3, x = 0.15) nanorods, with a diameter of ~20 nm and length in ~0.6 μm, using a facile base catalyzed hydrothermal process Probing this highly luminescent-paramagnetic nanophosphor using photoluminescence, time-resolved spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, cytotoxicity assay and bioimaging applications reveal that this nanophosphor is a highly suitable nanoprobe for in vitro as well as in vivo high-contrast imaging and external magnetic tracking applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to investigate the application of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods with diameter ~20 nm as biological nanoprobe for in vitro as well as in vivo bioimaging and external magnetic tracking of nanorods for potential nuclear drug delivery applications
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