Synthesis of Magnetic Ferrite Nanoparticles with High Hyperthermia Performance via a Controlled Co-Precipitation Method

Mohamed S A Darwish; Hohyeon Kim; Hwangjae Lee; Chiseon Ryu; Jae Young Lee; Jungwon Yoon

doi:10.3390/nano9081176

Synthesis of Magnetic Ferrite Nanoparticles with High Hyperthermia Performance via a Controlled Co-Precipitation Method

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2019 Aug 16;9(8):1176. doi: 10.3390/nano9081176.

Authors

Mohamed S A Darwish^{1

2}, Hohyeon Kim¹, Hwangjae Lee³, Chiseon Ryu³, Jae Young Lee⁴, Jungwon Yoon^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ School of Integrated Technology, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea.
² Petrochemicals Department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, 1 Ahmed El-Zomor Street, El Zohour Region, Nasr City, Cairo 11727, Egypt.
³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea.
⁴ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea. jaeyounglee@gist.ac.kr.
⁵ School of Integrated Technology, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea. jyoon@gist.ac.kr.
⁶ Research Center for Nanorobotics in Brain, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea. jyoon@gist.ac.kr.

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that exhibit high specific loss power (SLP) at lower metal content are highly desirable for hyperthermia applications. The conventional co-precipitation process has been widely employed for the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles. However, their hyperthermia performance is often insufficient, which is considered as the main challenge to the development of practicable cancer treatments. In particular, ferrite MNPs have unique properties, such as a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy, high coercivity, and moderate saturation magnetization, however their hyperthermia performance needs to be further improved. In this study, cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) and zinc cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (ZnCoFe₂O₄) were prepared to achieve high SLP values by modifying the conventional co-precipitation method. Our modified method, which allows for precursor material compositions (molar ratio of Fe⁺³:Fe⁺²:Co⁺²/Zn⁺² of 3:2:1), is a simple, environmentally friendly, and low temperature process carried out in air at a maximum temperature of 60 °C, without the need for oxidizing or coating agents. The particles produced were characterized using multiple techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectroscopy), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). SLP values of the prepared nanoparticles were carefully evaluated as a function of time, magnetic field strength (30, 40, and 50 kA m^-1), and the viscosity of the medium (water and glycerol), and compared to commercial magnetic nanoparticle materials under the same conditions. The cytotoxicity of the prepared nanoparticles by in vitro culture with NIH-3T3 fibroblasts exhibited good cytocompatibility up to 0.5 mg/mL. The safety limit of magnetic field parameters for SLP was tested. It did not exceed the 5 × 10⁹ Am^-1 s^-1 threshold. A saturation temperature of 45 °C could be achieved. These nanoparticles, with minimal metal content, can ideally be used for in vivo hyperthermia applications, such as cancer treatments.

Keywords: hyperthermia; magnetic ferrite; modified co-precipitation; specific loss power.

Abstract

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