Paramagnetic Gd-Doped Zirconia Nanoparticles for Potential T1-Weighted MRI Imaging

Abstract

In this paper, Gd-doped zirconia (ZrO[Formula: see text] nanoparticles were prepared using a facile urea homogeneous precipitation method. The morphology, structural properties and magnetic properties of Gd-doped zirconia nanoparticles (NPs) have been analyzed by field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic properties measurement system (MPMS), respectively. Toxicity analysis suggested that prepared Gd-doped ZrO2 NPs have good biocompatibility. The contrast enhancement ability of prepared Gd-doped ZrO2 NPs was tested by a 1.5T small animal MRI scanner. Obvious image brightening confirmed that prepared Gd-doped ZrO2 NPs can be potentially used for T1-weighted MRI imaging.