Superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles: Synthesis by Thermal Decomposition of Iron(III) Glucuronate and Application in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Monodisperse superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with oleic acid were prepared by thermal decomposition of Fe(III) glucuronate. The shape, size, and particle size distribution were controlled by varying the reaction parameters, such as the reaction temperature, concentration of the stabilizer, and type of high-boiling-point solvents. Magnetite particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and magnetometer measurements. The particle coating was analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy. To make the Fe3O4 nanoparticles dispersible in water, the particle surface was modified with α-carboxyl-ω-bis(ethane-2,1-diyl)phosphonic acid-terminated poly(3-O-methacryloyl-α-D-glucopyranose) (PMG-P). For future practical biomedical applications, nontoxicity plays a key role, and the PMG-P&Fe3O4 nanoparticles were tested on rat mesenchymal stem cells to determine the particle toxicity and their ability to label the cells. MR relaxometry confirmed that the PMG-P&Fe3O4 nanoparticles had high relaxivity but rather low cellular uptake. Nevertheless, the labeled cells still provided visible contrast enhancement in the magnetic resonance image. In addition, the cell viability was not compromised by the nanoparticles. Therefore, the PMG-P&Fe3O4 nanoparticles have the potential to be used in biomedical applications, especially as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

Environmental implications and applications of engineered nanoscale magnetite and its hybrid nanocomposites: A review of recent literature

“…NPs have the potential to be used as contrast agents for MRI [35]. Monodisperse 8 nm MNPs have been synthesized by the thermal decomposition of iron(III) acetylacetonate in oleylamine and then are deposited onto n-type silicon wafer having the Al ohmic contact.…”

Facile Synthesis and Special Phase Transformation of Hydrophilic Iron Oxides Nanoparticles

“…Until now, various wet chemical processes such as coprecipitation, sol-gel, hydrothermal/solvothermal, thermal decomposition, electrochemical strategy, and ultrasonic chemistry have been extensively applied to prepare superparamagnetic nanoparticles [7][8][9][10]. Among these routes, different surfactants, such as oleic acid, are introduced to prevent the aggregation of nanoparticles; also toxic reagents such as Fe(III) glucuronate, Fe(acac) 3 , or Fe(CO) 5 are usually used, which render the surface of as-obtained samples to be nonbiocompatible, and obstructed the further surface modification [4,8,11,12].…”

“…Among these routes, different surfactants, such as oleic acid, are introduced to prevent the aggregation of nanoparticles; also toxic reagents such as Fe(III) glucuronate, Fe(acac) 3 , or Fe(CO) 5 are usually used, which render the surface of as-obtained samples to be nonbiocompatible, and obstructed the further surface modification [4,8,11,12].…”

In situ synthesis of magnetic poly(N-tert-butyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/Fe3O4 nanogels for magnetic resonance imaging

“…6 For example, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles have been researched 7,8 and applied as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents because they can improve r 2 relaxivity. [9][10][11] However, they may aggregate easily owing to their tiny sizes and high surface energy, and cause blockages in blood vessels when they are injected into veins. 12,13 Moreover, the surfaces of commonly used Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are hydrophobic 6,12 which is incompatible with the human environment.…”