Terbium-doped carbon dots (Tb-CDs) as a novel contrast agent for efficient X-ray attenuation

Metal-doped carbon dots have attracted considerable attention in nanomedicine over the last decade owing to their high biocompatibility and great potential for bioimaging, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy. In this study, we prepared, and for the first time, examined terbium-doped CDs (Tb-CDs) as a novel contrast agent for computed tomography. A detailed physicochemical analysis revealed that the prepared Tb-CDs have small sizes (∼2–3 nm), contain relatively high terbium concentration (∼13.3 wt%), and exhibit excellent aqueous colloidal stability. Furthermore, preliminary cell viability and CT measurements suggested that Tb-CDs exhibit negligible cytotoxicity toward L-929 cells and demonstrate high X-ray absorption performance (∼48.2 ± 3.9 HU L g(−1)). Based on these findings, the prepared Tb-CDs could serve as a promising contrast agent for efficient X-ray attenuation.