Radioactive nanoparticles and their main applications: recent advances.

Selected nanoparticles and nanocomposites on the basis of radioactive elements are reviewed. Isotopes of metallic gold, iodine and technetium salts, CeO2 and other lanthanide and actinide compounds, as well as several p- (P, C, F, Te) and d- (Fe, Co, Cu, Cd, Zn) elements form most common radioactive nanoparticles. Methods for their fabrication, including dopation with radionuclides and neutron/proton/deuteron activation, are discussed. These nanocomposites possess a series of useful applications, in particular in biology and medicine, including cancer therapeutics, drug delivery systems and radiotracers, as well as in the studies of several catalytic processes and materials structure.