Luminescence property and magnetic resonance imaging of Gd2O3:Tb3+ nanocrystals doped with Zn2+, Li+

Gd 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ nanocrystal co-doped with Zn 2+ and Li + was prepared by the combination of polyol and solid-phase methods. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results revealed that both Gd 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ /Zn 2+ and Gd 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ /Li + had cubic unit structures with a spherical shape, and the fluorescence intensity of the nanoparticles reached a maximum at a doping concentration of 0.050 mmol% for Zn 2+ and 2 mol% for Li + , respectively. In addition, the T 1 / T 2 (longitudinal/transverse relaxation time)-weighted MRI signals got enhanced due to the increased longitudinal relaxivity ( r 1 ) and transverse relaxivity ( r 2 ) after the doping by metal ions. Therefore, the materials reported here can be used for fluorescence and MR bimodal imaging, as tracers and for fluorescence detections. Graphic abstract