From Single-Core Nanoparticles in Ferrofluids to Multi-Core Magnetic Nanocomposites: Assembly Strategies, Structure, and Magnetic Behavior

Abstract

Iron oxide nanoparticles are the basic components of the most promising magnetoresponsive nanoparticle systems for medical (diagnosis and therapy) and bio-related applications. Multi-core iron oxide nanoparticles with a high magnetic moment and well-defined size, shape, and functional coating are designed to fulfill the specific requirements of various biomedical applications, such as contrast agents, heating mediators, drug targeting, or magnetic bioseparation. This review article summarizes recent results in manufacturing multi-core magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) systems emphasizing the synthesis procedures, starting from ferrofluids (with single-core MNPs) as primary materials in various assembly methods to obtain multi-core magnetic particles. The synthesis and functionalization will be followed by the results of advanced physicochemical, structural, and magnetic characterization of multi-core particles, as well as single- and multi-core particle size distribution, morphology, internal structure, agglomerate formation processes, and constant and variable field magnetic properties. The review provides a comprehensive insight into the controlled synthesis and advanced structural and magnetic characterization of multi-core magnetic composites envisaged for nanomedicine and biotechnology.

Bioinspired Magnetic Nanochains for Medicine

“…Therefore, different approaches of superparamagnetic nanoparticle clustering have been proposed in the last two decades, including: one-pot nanoparticle cluster synthesis method, solvothermal methods, chemical cross-linking of nanoparticles in the cluster, preparation of composite nanoparticle clusters with polymers, and emulsion/evaporation-based clustering of hydrophobic nanoparticles, among other strategies (Figure 6) [29,41,42,[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]. Krasia-Christoforou et al has recently presented an elegant topical review on magnetic nanoparticle clustering that is available for further reading [88]. [29], Copyright 2014, with permission from Elsevier.…”

Advanced analysis of magnetic nanoflower measurements to leverage their use in biomedicine

“…23 Given the complexity of this problem, it is not surprising that also experimental data on different particle types and sizes are not converging. 24,25 Moreover, possible magnetic interactions between the magnetic cores occur that manifest themselves differently depending on the type of applied magnetic elds and the surroundings of the particles. Next to this, when the particles are injected in the body also interactions with biological entities occur.…”

The Use of Ferrofluids in Analytical Sample Preparation: A Review

“…Besides, MNPs with a particle size around 10 nm are preferred to form FFs [2]. Nevertheless, the size of the particles should be taken simply as an illustrative parameter, as MNPs with higher diameters have also been used to prepare FFs [4]. Regarding the carrier, it is the main component in the FF (90-97%), providing its liquid nature (despite the presence of small amounts of solid particles in suspension).…”