Bifunctional Fe3O4@Gd2O3:Eu3+nanocomposites obtained by the homogeneous precipitation method

An easy homogeneous precipitation method was developed for the synthesis of bifunctional magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites with Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the core and europium-doped gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3:Eu3+) as the shell. The nanocomposites showed both strong magnetic behavior and unique Eu-related fluorescence properties with a high emission intensity, which may lead to development of nanocomposites with great potential for applications in drug targeting, biosensors, and diagnostic analysis.