A top-down synthesis route to ultrasmall multifunctional Gd-based Silica nanoparticles for theranostic applications

International audience; New, ultrasmall nanoparticles with sizes below 5 nm have been obtained. These small rigid platforms (SRP) are composed of a polysiloxane matrix with DOTAGA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1-glutaric anhydride-4,7,10-triacetic acid)-Gd3+ chelates on their surface. They have been synthesised by an original top-down process: 1) formation of a gadolinium oxide Gd2O3 core, 2) encapsulation in a polysiloxane shell grafted with DOTAGA ligands, 3) dissolution of the gadolinium oxide core due to chelation of Gd3+ by DOTAGA ligands and 4) polysiloxane fragmentation. These nanoparticles have been fully characterised using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), transmission elec…