Blocked-micropores,surface functionalized,bio-compatible and silica-coated iron oxide nanocomposites as advanced MRI contrast agent

Quasi-critical fluctuations occur close to critical points or close to continuous phase transitions. In three-dimensional systems, precision tuning is required to access the fluctuation regime. Lowering the dimensionality enhances the parameter space for quasi-critical fluctuations considerably. This enables one to make use of novel properties emerging in fluctuating systems, such as giant susceptibilities, Casimir forces or novel quasi-particle interactions. Examples are discussed ranging from simple metal–adsorbate systems to unconventional superconductivity in iron-based superconductors.     

Monte Carlo simulations of star-branched polyelectrolyte micelles

The concentration profiles of monomers and counterions in star-branched polyelectrolyte micelles are calculated through Monte Carlo simulations, using the freely jointed chain model. We have investigated the onset of different regimes corresponding to the spherical and Manning condensation of counterions as a function of the strength of the Coulomb coupling. The Monte Carlo results are in fair agreement with the predictions of Self-Consistent-Field analytical models. We have simulated a real system of diblock copolymer micelles of (sodium-polystyrene-sulfonate)(NaPSS)-(polyethylene-propylene)(PEP) with f = 54 hydrophilic branches of N = 251 monomers at room temperature in salt-free solution. The calculated form factor compares nicely with our neutron scattering data. Received 18 July 2002 and Received in final form 11 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: roger@drecam.saclay.cea.fr     

Magneto-transport properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/SrTiO3/La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 tunnel junction

Hole-doped rare-earth manganite La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ and the electron-doped manganite La_0.7Ce_0.3MnO₃ both show a metal-insulator transition around 250 K associated with a ferromagnetic transition and colossal magnetoresistance. In an earlier publication we have reported the rectifying characteristic of La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃/SrTiO₃/La_0.7Ce_0.3MnO₃ tunnel junction at room temperature, showing that it is possible to fabricate a diode out of the polaronic insulator regime of doped manganites. Here we report the magneto-transport properties of such a tunnel junction above and below the metal-insulator transition. We show, from the large positive magnetoresistance of the tunnel junction at low temperature, that La_0.7Ce_0.3MnO₃ could be a minority spin carrier ferromagnet. The implication of this observation is discussed.     

Thermal stability of spin valve sensors using artificial Co/Ir based ferrimagnets

Hard-soft spin valve structures have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(0 0 1) substrates. The hard magnetic layer consists of an artificial Co/Ir/Co ferrimagnet system (AFi), while a Fe/Co bilayer from the buffer has been used as a soft detection layer. The Fe layer has been grown at 600°C giving rise to a monocrystalline layer with a BCC structure. Consequently, this layer presents a hard and a easy magnetization axis, respectively, along the BCC [1 1 0] and the [1 0 0] directions. The AFi system presents dramatic differences after successive annealing steps up to 350°C. An increase of the GMR from 3% to 3.5% is observed after annealing at 250°C while the coercive field of the AFi and the GMR plateau are strongly reduced. After further annealing at higher temperature the GMR drops down accompanied with a strong decrease in the antiparallel alignment amount in the AFi system. Rutherford back scattering measurements have been performed to investigate the changes in the interface morphology and to correlate it to the magneto-transport properties.     

Intravascular and Intracellular Hepatic Relaxivities of Superparamagnetic Particles: An Isolated and Perfused Organ Pharmacokinetics Study

The relative contributions of intravascular and intracellular compartments to the proton transverse relaxation of the isolated and excised rat liver were determined during the phagocytosis of superparamagnetic particles. The evolution of the proton transverse magnetization of the organ perfused with increasing doses of starch-coated magnetic microspheres was followed up using a Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill sequence with various echo times. From the multiexponential fit of the echo train, the amplitudes and the relaxation ratesR₂of the liver tissue were obtained. The results clearly indicate that shortly after contrast medium administration, an internalization takes place which can be followed by the rapid and biphasic evolution of the transverse relaxation rate of the water protons. A very fast decaying component looking like an initial loss of the magnetization is observed together with an increase of the relaxation rate of the remaining water tissue. This regime is strongly dependent on both the echo time and the iron concentration, a behavior characteristic of the agglomeration of magnetic particles. The examination of the liver tissues by electron microscopy shows that this clustering arises in cytoplasmic vacuoles.