Synthesis and characterization of MSN/Fe3O4/Gd2O3 nanocomposite as theranostic systems

Theranostic systems integrate therapy and diagnosis in combination to achieve precise cancer treatment. At the same time, magnetic iron nanoparticles have emerged as advanced functional materials for a variety of biomedical applications. Additionally, rare-earth compounds have been crucial over the past decade due to their optical properties and low cytotoxicity for biological applications. Nanostructured materials such as mesoporous silica, which could be integrated with the previously mentioned materials, are ideal candidates for theranostic systems. In this study nanocomposites of mesoporous silica nanoparticles were obtained and tailored with rare earths and magnetite that exhibit both ferrimagnetism and photoluminescence properties as theranostic agents for cancer therapy. Structural, optical, and magnetic characterization were performed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), photoluminescence studies, zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The capacity of heat generation (CHG) was measured using an Ameritherm heater (EasyHeat model) with an alternating magnetic field. The results show that the nanocomposites have ideal properties for magneto-hyperthermia applications and optical properties, making them promising as theranostic systems to treat diseases such as cancer.