Synthesis and characterization of coordination polymer nanoparticles as radioisotope tracers

Coordination polymer nanoparticles (NPs) with gamma-emitting nuclide (Au-198), 411 keV, 675 keV, 822 keV and 1087 keV were prepared by coordination polymerization of the radioisotope Au3+ ions and 1,4-bis(imidazole-1-ylmethyl)benzene in an aqueous solution at room temperature for 3 h. Here, the radioisotope Au3+ ions were prepared by dissolution of Au-198 foil, which was prepared by neutron irradiation from the HANARO reactor, in KCN aqueous solution. The successful synthesis of the radioisotope coordination polymer NPs with 5±0.5 nm was confirmed via UV–vis spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDXS), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Gamma spectroscopy analysis. The synthesized radioisotope coordination polymer NPs can be used as radiotracers in science, engineering, and industrial fields.