Chemically modifiable fluorinated copolymer nanoparticles for 19 F‐MRI contrast enhancement

Recently there has been interest in developing imaging contrast media for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that contain biologically rare, magnetically active nuclei such as fluorine. In principle, fluorinated contrast agents can be used to generate highly selective 19 F magnetic resonance images that can be superimposed over complimentary 1 H magnetic resonance images to provide an anatomical context for the fluorinated contrast agent. Additionally, nanoparticles can be made to target various pathological sites via active and passive targeting mechanisms. In this study, fluorinated nanoparticles were produced using a free radical polymerization of vinyl formamide monomers with two different fluorinated monomers. The nanoparticles showed a clear, single 19 F‐NMR signal. Additionally, surface amide groups were hydrolyzed to primary amines to yield additional surface reactivity. Fluorinated nanoparticles produced using a free‐radial polymerization method yield a new nanoparticle for 19 F‐MRI applications with potential for facile functionalization. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012