A multimodal nanocomposite was designed, synthesized with super-paramagnetic core (CoFe2O4), noble metal corona (Au), and semiconductor shell (TiO2). The sizes of core, core-corona, and core-corona-shell particles were determined by TEM. This multimodal nanocrystal showed promise as a contrast agent for two of the most widely used biomedical imaging techniques: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT). Finally, these nanocomposites were coated with a peptide SN-50. This led to their ready uptake by the cultured cells and targeted the nanocomposites to the pores of nuclear membrane. Inside cells, this nanocomposite retained its integrity as shown by X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM). Inside cells imaged by XFM we found the complex elemental signature of nanoconjugates (Ti-Co-Fe-Au) always co-registered in the 2D elemental map of the cell.
Keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; X-ray Computed Tomography; X-ray fluorescence microscopy; multimodal nanoconjugate.