Multifunctional materials that combine two or more functional properties present great interest in different areas, such as optics, photonics, electronics and biomedicine. For bioapplications materials that combine both magnetic and fluorescent properties, as well as biocompatibility are paid more attention. One of the well-known biocompatible material and also has unique luminescent properties is zinc oxide (ZnO). Compounds containing Gd³⁺ ions are well-known MRI contrast agents. High specific surface area is another important factor for materials used in biomedicine. For this purpose, MOF materials can be used.
The main goal of the project is the synthesis and complex characterization of the new multifunctional optical-magnetic ZnO:Gd@MOF core-shell materials.
The combination of excellent luminescence properties of the core (ZnO), magnetic properties of the dopants (Gd), high porosity of the coating (MOF), as well as the use of simple synthesis will allow to obtain multifunctional material and its potential use as a new biomarker, drug carrier and contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).