Therefore, iron oxides (such as γ-Fe2O3 or Fe3O4) have been considered ideal candidates for core-shell structures owing to their strong paramagnetic properties. The formation of core-shell structures is followed conventionally by an encapsulation process, where the paramagnetic core is encapsulated by the silica shell layer with JPH203 purchase embedded MK5108 in vivo organic dyes [9, 10] or quantum dots [11, 12]. On the other hand, the direct linking of a fluorescent moiety to a

magnetic core normally requires the use of a sufficiently long molecular linker to bypass any possible quenching by the ferro/paramagnetic core. Furthermore, the photobleaching and quenching of organic dyes and the instability and toxicity of QDs have seriously limited the broad applications of such core-shell structures, particularly in biomedicine. Another class of a luminescent material is lanthanide-doped inorganic composites. Lanthanide-doped composites are quite promising owing to their large Stokes shift, sharp emission spectra, high luminescence quantum yield, superior photostability, and low toxicity [13, 14]. Therefore, lanthanide-doped

composites have become a new generation of optical probes with great potential in biomedical imaging [13]. A combination of magnetic and luminescent properties of different ceramic materials into a single composite system might enhance their application Syk inhibitor 17-DMAG (Alvespimycin) HCl range significantly. A unique magneto-optical composite composed of a magnetite core and coated phosphor material would have great potential in both nano- and biotechnology. Up to now, there are few reports on the preparation of multifunctional composites consisting of a magnetite core with a sol–gel-coated YVO4:Eu3+ shell layer and directly linked NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanoparticles [14, 15]. Therefore, the development of a simple and reliable

synthetic method for the fabrication of bimodal nanostructures with controlled morphologies and designed chemical components is still a challenge. Moreover, magneto-optical nanostructures can provide an all-in-one diagnostic and therapeutic tool, which can be used to visualize and treat various diseases simultaneously. Another exciting application of bimodal nanocomposites is in cytometry and magnetic separation, which can be controlled and monitored easily by fluorescent microscopy. This paper proposes a facile strategy for the fabrication of bimodal nanocomposites using Fe3O4 spheres as a core and a thin Y2O3:Tb3+ layer phosphor coating as the shell structure. Morphological, structural, and chemical analyses of the synthesized nanocomposites were performed using a range of microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis techniques. As the main focus of this study, the magnetic and optical properties of synthesized nanocomposites are also discussed in detail.