Synthesis of Magnetic Ions-Doped QDs Synthesized Via a Facial Aqueous Solution Method for Optical/MR Dual-Modality Imaging Applications

This research reports the preparation and examination of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Quantum Dots and doping CdTe QDs with Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), and Manganese (Mn) prepared in aqueous solution using TGA as a capping agent. Magnetic QDs (MQDs) are important agents for fluorescence (FL) /magnetic resonance (MR) dual-modal imaging due to their excellent optical and magnetic properties. Herein, the chemical bonds, structural, fluorescence, and magnetized properties of CdTe QDs and effect of Mn, Eu, and Gd ions doping on their properties were examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and vibrating sample magnetometer measurements (VSM). Almost similar X-Ray patterns with the absence/presence of ions for all samples with cubic crystal structures were obtained which indicated that the introduction of ions into CdTe QDs could not alter the cubic primary structure of CdTe. Monodisperse size distributed with seemingly-spherical shapes, and also, the estimated mean diameters about 3 and less than 3 nm of QDs were obtained. The effect of X ions injection on the fluorescence and UV-Vis properties of the QDs were also investigated. Optical studies showed the decreases in bandgap as the heating time increases during synthesis while undergoing red-shift. The CdTe nanocrystals with high PL quantum yields were achieved in more than 6 h of heating. Also, investigations have shown the quenching of fluorescence by the existence of ions in the CdTe QDs. Then, all the ions doped QDs exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature by a vibrating sample magnetometer which confirmed the success of the presentation of ions into CdTe cubic crystal structure. They can have been employed as a suitable contrast agent successfully for biological applications such as FL/MR dual-modal imaging.