Magnetic, fluorescent, and thermo-responsive poly(MMA-NIPAM-Tb(AA)3Phen)/Fe3O4 multifunctional nanospheres prepared by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization.

Magnetic, luminescent, and thermoresponsive multifunctional nanospheres composed of modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the core and rare earth complex Tb(AA)3Phen as the shell are synthesized by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. The core-shell spherical structure has a size between 140 and 220 nm and exhibits strong green fluorescence of the rare earth complex Tb(AA)3Phen. In the R2 relaxivity and in vivo MRI studies, the R2 relaxivity of the nanospheres is 562.56 mM(-1) s(-1) and enhanced T2-weighted images are observed from the nanospheres in the liver and spleen after injection as a contrast agent. The excellent superparamagnetic, thermosensitive, and fluorescent properties render the nanospheres useful in biomedical engineering and optical imaging.