Diagnostic Nanoplatforms: Engineering Multifunctional & Multimodal Fluorinated Nanosensors for Fluorine-19 MRI Diagnostic Applications

Abstract

This work examines the engineering of fluorine loaded nanoparticles for the diagnostic quantitation of abiotic factors (i.e., oxygen and temperature), for magnetic resonance imaging. The thesis explores the unique physicochemical properties of highly fluorinated compounds and their ability to detect levels of oxygen or temperature via nuclear magnetic resonance. Due to the hydrophobic nature of highly fluorinated compounds, (i.e., perfluorocarbons), this work also examines the entrapment of perfluorocarbons inside of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a vehicle for the dispersion of perfluorocarbons in biological environments. Lastly this work considers the functionalization and characterization of these materials for the potential of incorporating multimodal and multifunctional properties for theranostic application.