| Over the past years, a considerable amount of research has been devoted to the study of magnetic nanoparticles due to their great potential for a variety of important applications. In particular magnetic nanoparticles are being developed to facilitate drug delivery. By utilizing an external magnetic field, drug loaded magnetic nanoparticles can de directed to target organs for more efficient treatment of diseases. Hence, understanding and controlling the superparamagnetic properties of magnetic nanoparticles becomes an important consideration. In this study the design of superparamagnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles suited for biomedical applications is described. By utilizing a chemometric model, which provides a quantitative correlation between preparative conditions with nanoparticle size, it was possible to systematically produce a series of nanoparticle sizes that facilitated the investigation of the size effect on the superparamagnetic properties of the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. A next step is the chemical control of the superparamagnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by means of zinc addition. Last but not least, the synthesis and superparamagnetic properties of a new type of core-shell ferrite nanoparticle are presented. |
