Lanthanide-doped mesoporous MCM-41 nanoparticles as a novel optical-magnetic multifunctional nanobioprobe.

To research and develop potential multifunctional nanoprobes for biological application, lanthanide-doped MCM-41 (Ln-MCM-41, Ln = Gd/Eu) silica nanoparticles with excellent pore structure and optical-magnetic properties were synthesized via a facile and economical sol-gel method. The microstructure and pore distribution of Ln-MCM-41 nanoparticles were obviously affected by the Ln-doping. As the Ln/Si mole ratio increased, the specific surface area and total pore volume of Ln-MCM-41 nanoparticles rapidly decreased. However, the Ln-MCM-41 nanoparticles still retained the typical well-ordered mesoporous structure, and exhibited excellent drug release behavior. Moreover, the drug release rate of Ln-MCM-41 was remarkably pH-dependent and increased gradually upon decreasing pH. Additionally, these nanoparticles also exhibit considerable photoluminescence properties, living cells photoluminescence imaging in vitro , and paramagnetism behavior at room temperature due to the Ln 3+ -ions doping. Our research shows the possibility of our Ln-MCM-41 nanoparticles as multifunctional nanoprobes for application in bioseparation, bioimaging, and drug delivery.