Gd-Encapsulated Carbon Nanotubes as Dual-Modal Probes for Magnetic Resonance and Second Near-Infrared Emission

Abstract

We report a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence and magnetic resonance (MR) dual-modal probe composed of fluorescent carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled with paramagnetic Gd ions. The Gd-filled CNTs are synthesized by means of a vapor-phase technique using gadolinium halides as precursors, and host CNTs exhibit the strong photoluminescence even after Gd filling. We have investigated the NIR fluorescence and MR imaging in vivo as well as in vitro, and demonstrated that the Gd-filled CNTs can be used for the dual-modal imaging of tissues and vessels in the living mice.