Issue 45, 2016

Ultra-efficient, widely tunable gold nanoparticle-based fiducial markers for X-ray imaging

Abstract

We show the development of a new class of highly efficient, biocompatible fiducial markers for X-ray imaging and radiosurgery, based on polymer shells encapsulating engineered gold nanoparticle (AuNP) suspensions. Our smart fabrication strategy enables wide tunability of the fiducial size, shape, and X-ray attenuation performance, up to record values >20 000 Hounsfield units (HU), i.e. comparable to or even higher than bulk gold. We show that the NP fiducials allow for superior imaging both in vitro and in vivo (yet requiring 2 orders of magnitude less material), with strong stability over time and the absence of classical “streak artifacts” of standard bulk fiducials. NP fiducials were probed in vivo, showing exceptional contrast efficiency, even after 2 weeks post-implant in mice.

Graphical abstract: Ultra-efficient, widely tunable gold nanoparticle-based fiducial markers for X-ray imaging

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Sep 2016
Accepted
07 Oct 2016
First published
13 Oct 2016

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 18921-18927

Ultra-efficient, widely tunable gold nanoparticle-based fiducial markers for X-ray imaging

G. Maiorano, E. Mele, M. C. Frassanito, E. Restini, A. Athanassiou and P. P. Pompa, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 18921 DOI: 10.1039/C6NR07021C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements