Towards biocompatibility of RE2O3 nanocrystals - water and organic molecules chemisorbed on Gd2O3 and Y2O3 nanocrystals studied by quantum-chemical computations.

Nanocrystals of Gd2O3/Y2O3 and their interaction with water, formic acid, diethylene glycol (DEG), and tetramethoxy silane (TMOS) have been studied by quantum-chemical calculations at the B3LYP level using solvent-coated clusters of gadolinia and yttria. Adsorption energies, surface geometries, electronic structures, and excitation spectra were calculated. The results concerning adsorption strengths and superparamagnetic high-spin states can provide insight into the design of molecular-capped RE2O3 nanocrystals to be used in vivo.