Oxygen Functional Groups on MWCNT Surface as Critical Factor Boosting T2 Relaxation Rate of Water Protons: Towards Improved CNT-Based Contrast Agents.

The introduced OFGs are responsible for an almost 30% increase in the relaxivity, which leads to remarkable r2 relaxivity of 951 mM-1s-1 (419 (mg/mL)-1s-1), the unprecedented value reported to date for this class of CAs. Also, the resulting nanohybrids express low cytotoxicity and superb diffusion after subcutaneous injection to a mouse.