Ligand-size and ligand-chain hydrophilicity effects on the relaxometric properties of ultrasmall Gd2O3 nanoparticles

The relaxometric properties of ultrasmall Gd2O3 nanoparticles coated with various ligands were investigated. These ligands include small diacids with hydrophobic chains, namely, succinic acid (Mw = 118.09 amu), glutaric acid (Mw = 132.12 amu), and terephthalic acid (Mw = 166.13 amu), and large polyethylenimines (PEIs) with hydrophilic chains, namely, PEI-1300 (M¯n=1300) and PEI-10000 (M¯n=10000). Ligand-size and ligand-chain hydrophilicity effects were observed. The longitudinal (r1) and transverse (r2) water proton relaxivities generally decreased with increasing ligand-size (the ligand-size effect). The ligand-size effect was weaker for PEI because its hydrophilic chains allow water molecules to access the nanoparticle (the ligand-chain hydrophilicity effect). This result was explained on the basis of the magnetic dipole interaction between the dipoles of the nanoparticle and water proton. In addition, all samples were found to be non-toxic in cellular cytotoxicity tests.