Ferrite-based magnetic nanofluids used in hyperthermia applications

Magnetic ferrofluids (magnetic nanofluids) have received special attention due to their various biomedical applications such as drug delivery and hyperthermia treatment for cancer. The biological applications impose some special requirements. For example, the well-known iron oxide ferrofluids become undesirable because their iron atoms are poorly distinguishable from those of hemoglobin. A conceivable solution is to use mixed-ferrites (MFe₂O₄ where M=Co, Mn, Ni, Zn) to have a range of magnetic properties. These ferrites have attracted special attention because they save time, and because of their low inherent toxicity, ease of synthesis, physical and chemical stabilities and suitable magnetic properties. Based on the importance of ferrite particles in ferrofluids for hyperthermia treatment, this paper gives a summary on the physical concepts of ferrofluids, hyperthermia principal, magnetic properties and synthesis methods of nanosized ferrites.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetite particles covered with α-trietoxysilil-polydimethylsiloxane

New silicon magnetite ferrofluids were prepared by dispersing siloxane-coated magnetite particles in polydimethylsiloxane with low or high molecular weights. Ferrofluids are stable colloidal dispersions of ultra fine covered magnetite particles, which may be selected for a specific application. We demonstrated new methods of stabilizing the magnetic particles by reacting the hydroxyl groups on the surface of magnetite particles with terminal ethoxy groups of polydimethylsiloxane, followed by their dispersion in silicon fluids. The new silicon ferrofluids were tested from the morphology, magnetic properties/losses, and rheological properties point of view.     

A new spectrometric method,using a magneto-optical effect,to study magnetic liquids

We present an original polarimetric method to study the magnetic relaxation of ferrofluids. The Brownian relaxation of three ferrofluids with Fe₂CoO₄ particles dispersed in water, dibutyl phthalate and diethylene glycol is presented and compared with the theoretical model of Debye adapted to the magnetism. The results show that this system has a good sensitivity even at low volume concentration of particles and under low ac magnetic field. The analysis of the relaxation parameters leads to a good estimation of particles diameter and put in evidence a distribution of relaxation time.     

Relaxation behavior measuring of transmitted light through ferrofluids film

In this paper, relaxation behavior of transmitted light through thin ferrofluid film under an applied magnetic field is measured. The results show that the intensity of transmitted light through a ferrofluid film increases quickly as soon as an external magnetic field is applied then weakens with time. If uniformity of the field is poor, the transmission of light continuously decreases in a measured duration. Otherwise, the transmission of light will tend increasingly towards a stable value after it decreases to a minimum value while the gradient of the field is low. The relaxation time would increase to an order of some hundreds seconds magnitude and is dependent on the strength of magnetic field and viscosity of the ferrofluids. The field-induced relaxation behaviors of transmitted light through ferrofluids correspond to anisotropic microstructure of the ferrofluids under applied magnetic field. PACS 75.50.Mm; 78.20.Ls     

Magnetic Behaviour and Heating Effect of Fe3O4 Ferrofluids Composed of Monodisperse Nanoparticles

Fe3O4 ferrofluids containing monodisperse Fe3O4 nanoparticles with different diameters of 8, 12, 16 and 18nm are prepared by using high-temperature solution phase reaction. The particles have single crystal structures with narrow size distributions. At room temperature, the 8-nm ferrofluid shows superparamagnetic behaviour, whereas the others display hysteresis properties and the coercivity increases with the increasing particle size. The spin glass-like behaviour and cusps near 190K are observed on all ferrofluids according to the temperature variation of field-cooled （FC） and zero-field-cooled （ZFC） magnetization measurements. The cusps are found to be associated with the freezing point of the solvent. As a comparison, the ferrofluids are dried and the FC and ZFC magnetization curves of powdery samples are also investigated. It is found that the blocking temperatures for the powdery samples are higher than those for their corresponding ferrofluids. Moreover, the size dependent heating effect of the ferrofluids is also investigated in ac magnetic field with a frequency of 55 kHz and amplitude of 200 Oe.     

Experimental investigation on the magneto-optic effects of ferrofluids via dynamic measurements

An experimental investigation on the origin of the magneto-optic effects of ferrofluids is presented. Dynamic measurements of their transverse and longitudinal magneto-optic effects and their magnetic properties have been performed. As ferrofluids are colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles in a liquid, the influence of two parameters has been studied: the magnetic anisotropy energy of particles and the carrier liquid viscosity for four ferrofluid samples. The interpretation and the comparison of results give some clues for a better understanding of magneto-optical effects of ferrofluids.     

The modulation of coupling in the relaxation behavior of light transmitted through binary ferrofluids

With an external magnetic field, a relaxation process is observed when the light transmit through binary ferrofluids composed of ferrimagnetic CoFe₂O₄ and paramagnetic p-NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles similar to ferrofluids consisting only of CoFe₂O₄. Since only the ferrimagnetic nanoparticles are able to form field-induced chainlike structures for such binary ferrofluids by magnetic interaction between the particles, so the relaxation behavior of the transmitted light is caused mainly by the ferrimagnetic system. In the binary ferrofluids, the paramagnetic nanoparticles, regarded as magnetically polarized gas molecules, are restrained to occupy the space between the ferrimagnetic chains and distribute following the CoFe₂O₄ particle chains covering and diverging, producing a modulation effect on the relaxation behavior of the transmitted light. The modulation effect can be characterized by range and time parameters that describe the relationship of the relaxation behavior of the transmitted light to the properties of the binary ferrofluids and single CoFe₂O₄ ferrofluids.     

Versatile ferrofluids based on polyethylene glycol coated iron oxide nanoparticles

Versatile ferrofluids based on polyethylene glycol coated iron oxide nanoparticles were obtained by a facile protocol and thoroughly characterized. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized using a modified forced hydrolysis method were functionalized with polyethylene glycol silane (PEG silane), precipitated and dried. These functionalized particles are dispersable in a range of solvents and concentrations depending on the desired properties. Examples of tunable properties are magnetic behavior, optical and magneto-optical response, thermal features and rheological behavior. As such, PEG silane functionalized particles represent a platform for the development of new materials that have broad applicability in e.g. biomedical, industrial or photonic environments. Magnetic, optical, magneto-optical, thermal and rheological properties of several ferrofluids based on PEG coated particles with different concentrations of particles dispersed in low molecular mass polyethylene glycol were investigated, establishing the applicability of such materials.     

Hydrodynamic Properties of Fe3O4 Kerosene-Based Ferrofluids with Narrow Particle Size Distribution

We investigate the hydrodynamic properties of Fe3O4 kerosene-based ferrofluids with narrow particle size distribution. The ferrofluids are synthesized by improving chemical coprecipitation technique. A narrow distribution of 8.6-10.8nm particle sizes is obtained from the magnetization curve with the free-form model based on the Bayesian inference theory. The fitting result is consistent with average particle size obtained from x-ray diffraction. With the increase of applied magnetic field and magnetic particle concentration, apparent viscosity of ferrofluids increases. At concentration 4.04%, the type of flow for the ferrofluid transforms from Newtonian to Bingham plastic fluid as the applied magnetic field increases.     

胶体铁磁流体的光子特性研究(英文)

这篇综述回顾了我们近年来在铁磁流体方面的一些研究工作。铁磁流体是一种纳米铁磁颗粒或亚铁磁颗粒悬浮在基液(如:水或煤油)中形成的悬浮液。铁磁流体之所以受到广泛关注,是因为它们在许多方面都有着潜在应用,例如在机械工程和生物医学等领域。在此综述中,我们首先介绍了铁磁流体的场感应各向异性结构,然后,介绍了几种铁磁流体基软物质材料的光学性质,即:光学负折射、磁控光子带隙和非线性光学响应。我们采用的研究方法主要是分子动力学模拟,有效媒质近似和有限元模拟。     

Optical properties of one-dimensional soft photonic crystals with ferrofluids

We review the recent theoretical study on the optical properties of one-dimensional soft photonic crystals (1D SPCs) with ferrofluids. The proposed structure is composed of alternating ferrofluid layers and dielectric layers. For the ferrofluid, single domain ferromagnetic nanoparticles can align to a chain under the stimuli of an external magnetic field, thus changing the microstructure of the system. Meanwhile, nonlinear optical responses in ferrofluids are also briefly reviewed.     

垂直圆管氮气-磁性液体两相流电磁感应现象

基于磁性液体与非磁性气泡磁导率的差异,理论分析与实验研究了氮气-磁性液体两相流的电磁感应现象。以颗粒体积浓度为3.83%的水基Fe₃O₄磁性液体为工质,同时采用物性与其相近的去离子水进行流型的可视化对比研究。研究结果表明,当管内为泡状流、弹状流、搅拌流时均能产生毫伏级的感应电压,且感应电压的峰峰值随着气体流量的增加而增大,另外根据感应电压随时间变化的波形可以辨识出管内的流型。     

胶体铁磁流体的光子特性研究

这篇综述回顾了我们今年来在铁磁流体方面的一些研究工作。铁磁流体是一种纳米磁颗粒或亚铁磁颗粒悬浮在基液（如：水或煤油）中形成的悬浮液。铁磁流体之所以受到广泛关注,是因为它们在许多方面都有着潜在应用,例如在机械工程和生物医学等领域。再次综述中,我们首先介绍了铁磁流体的场感应各向异性结构,然后,介绍了几种铁磁流体基软物质材料的光学性质,即：光学负折射、磁控光子待隙和非线性光学响应。我们采用的研究方法主要是分子动力学模拟,有效煤质近似和有限元模拟.     

Saturation Magnetization and Law of Approach to Saturation for Self-formed Ionic Ferrofluids Based on MnFe2O2 Nanoparticles

测量了MnFe₂O₄纳米微粒及其磁性液体在室温下的磁化曲线.微粒的中值粒径为13.67 nm. 磁性液体的比饱和磁化强度小于理论值.在高场范围(5～10 kOe)下,磁性液体趋于饱和时,其体积分数越大,磁化曲线的斜率越大. 这种饱和磁化强度性质和趋饱和律分别源自于无场时的环状自组装团聚体和场致团聚体. 场致团聚体是耗散结构,以致于其趋饱和磁化律不同于顺磁理论所描述的趋饱和律. 磁性液体中的大微粒导致了表观磁滞现象.     

A magnetic field-dependent modulation effect tends to stabilize light transmission through binary ferrofluids

In binary ferrofluids composed of ferromagnetic γ?Fe₂O₃/Ni₂O₃ composite nanoparticles (A particles) and noncrystalline Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (B particles), the A particles alone will form chain-like aggregates upon application of a magnetic field. Due to both the long-range ‘magnetic convergent force’ (F_C) and the short-range ‘magnetic divergent force’ (F_D), the A-particle chains immersed in the B-particle ‘sea’ will move in a manner similar to the process of vibrational damping. The apparent damping of the ferrofluids will vary from weak to overdamping according to the motion of the chains, so that the intensity of light transmitted through a ferrofluid film along the direction of the field would tend to stabilize after a period of rapid decrements and increments. In binary ferrofluids, the B-particle system can produce a modulation effect on both the damping and the driving force, further stabilizing the behavior of the transmitted light. At low fields (e.g., 500 Gs, 900 Gs) only the modulation of the viscosity drag force (F_v) is considerable, so that overdamping increases linearly with B-particle volume fraction (Ф_B), and the variation in the transmitted light is much slower during the process tending towards stability as Ф_B increases. However, at high fields (e.g., 1300 Gs) the polarization of the B-particle ‘sea’ is enhanced, so that F_D is modulated as well as F_v (i.e., both the practical damping and driving forces are modulated simultaneously). Thus, the apparent overdamping of the binary ferrofluids system will vary non-linearly as Ф_B increases, and the transmitted light will tend to stabilize faster for ferrofluids with high Φ_B than for those with low Ф_B at an applied magnetic field of 1300 Gs.     

Rheological properties of polydisperse magnetic fluids. Effect of chain aggregates

A theoretical model of medium-density polydisperse magnetic fluids is proposed. The model takes into account that the major fraction of particles in typical ferrofluids is characterized by a magnetic core diameter of about 10 nm. In addition, there is a certain proportion of large particles with a core diameter of about 16 nm. As a result of the magnetic dipole interaction, the large particles form chain aggregates. Small particles, for which the magnetic dipole interaction energy (both with each other and with large particles) is smaller than the thermal energy, remain in the individual nonaggregated state. The distribution of chains with respect to the number of (large) particles and some rheological characteristics of the ferrofluids are determined. The proposed model is capable of explaining, in principle, the giant magnetoviscosity effect and a strong dependence of the rheological properties of ferrofluids on the shear rate observed in some recent experiments.     

Field-induced layer formation in dipolar nanofilms

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that the layering of confined colloidal particles with dipolar interactions, such as ferrofluids, in slablike geometries can be controlled by homogeneous external fields. For suitable surface separations, strong fields directed perpendicular to the film plane do not only align the particles but create additional layers in the system. The reverse effect occurs with an in-plane field which can induce a collapse of layers. Both effects are accompanied by pronounced particle rearrangements in lateral directions. Our simulation results are consistent with recent experiments of ferrofluids at surfaces.     

Coordinated chain motion resulting in intensity variation of light transmitted through ferrofluid film

While a suitable magnetic field is applied to a ferrofluids film, magnetic nanoparticles in the film would form chain-like structure. Because of the action of magnetic convergent force (MCF) and magnetic divergent force (MDF), the chains will move coordinately towards to the axis of the field, then do apart from the center. From geometric shadowing effect, variation in the intensity of light transmitted through ferrofluids film is in relation to the coordinate motion of the chains. And a radiate synchromotion of the chain groups is constructed equivalently for describing the relation between transmitted light's intensity varying and chains moving. From the motion equation of one chain group, the relation is illustrated qualitatively by computer simulation. The experimental results show that the field-induced variation of light transmitted through ferrofluids film is a nonlinear relaxation process with intrinsic noise, and are in agreement with the behavior simulated by using the model of coordinated chains motion (MCCM).     

Rotational viscosity in ferrofluids

We have measured the rotational viscosity _r of a concentrated ferrofluid by observing the increase of critical angular velocity in a Taylor cell with two different magnetic field configurations. The results are compared to theoretical calculations for diluted ferrofluids at different relative orientations of the field and the vorticity of the fluid. The observed deviations are attributed to breakdown of the theory for concentrated ferrofluids.     

Water dynamics in ionic magnetic colloids studied by H nuclear magnetic resonance

In a previous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study we observed that the NMR spectra of water in both surfacted and ionic ferrofluids are asymmetric and several orders of magnitude wider than the one of pure water. It has been proposed that this effect is produced by extremely strong magnetic field gradients in the intergrain volume and/or by surface interactions between the carrier liquid molecules and the grains surface. In the case of aqueous ionic ferrofluids the latter possibility should be interpreted as electric interactions between water (polar) molecules and the charges in the grain surface.

In this work we study a series of ionic and surfacted ferrofluids prepared at different magnetic grain concentrations and sizes, and with different surface charge densities. Our experiments clearly show that the sign and the density of the electric charge on the magnetic grains have no influence on NMR spectra. On the other hand, spectral widths increase with the magnetic grain concentration.