Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a versatile gas phase coating technique that allows coating of complex structured materials, as well as high-surface area materials such as nanoparticles. In this work, ALD is used to deposit a lutetium oxide layer on TiO2 nanoparticles (P25) in a fluidized bed reactor to produce particles for nuclear medical applications. Two precursors were tested: the commercially available Lu(TMHD)3 and the custom-made Lu(HMDS)3. Using Lu(TMHD)3, a lutetium loading up to 15 wt. % could be obtained, while using Lu(HMDS)3, only 0.16 wt. % Lu could be deposited due to decomposition of the precursor. Furthermore, it was observed that vibration-assisted fluidization allows for better fluidization of the nanoparticles and hence a higher degree of coating.@en

Neutron activation is widely applied for thepreparation of radioactive isotopes to be used in imaging and/or therapy. The type of diagnostic/therapeutic agents varies fromsmall chelates coordinating radioactive metal ions to complexnanoparticulate systems. Design of these agents often relies onconjugation of certain organic functionalities that determine theirpharmacokinetics, biodistribution, targeting, and cell-penetratingabilities, or simply on tagging them with an optical label. Theconjugation chemistry at the surface of nanoparticles and theirfinal purification often require laborious procedures that becomeeven more troublesome when radioactive materials are involved.This study represents a thorough investigation on the effects ofneutron activation on the organic moieties of functionalizednanoparticles, with special focus on166Ho2O3particles conjugated with PEG-fluorescein and PEG-polyarginine motives.Spectroscopic and thermogravimetric analyses demonstrate only a limited degradation of PEG-fluorescein upon irradiation of theparticles up to 10 h using a thermal neutronflux of 5×1016m−2s−1. Cell experiments show that the polyarginine-basedmechanisms of membrane penetration remain unaltered after exposure of the functionalized particles to the mixedfield ofneutrons and gammas present during activation. This confirms that radiation damage on the PEG-polyarginines is minimal.Intrinsic radiations from166Ho do not seem to affect the integrity of conjugated organic material. Thesefindings open up a newperspective to simplify the procedures for the preparation of functionalized metal-based nanosystems that need to be activated byneutron irradiation in order to be applied for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes.@en