M. Angelakeris

Influence of dipolar interactions on hyperthermia properties of ferromagnetic particles

We show both experimental evidences and Monte Carlo modeling of the effects of interparticle dipolar interactions on the hysteresis losses. Results indicate that an increase in the intensity of dipolar interactions produce a decrease in the magnetic susceptibility and hysteresis losses, thus diminishing the hyperthermia output. These findings may have important clinical implications for cancer treatment.

Size-Dependent Mechanisms in AC Magnetic Hyperthermia Response of Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles

This paper correlates the magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles in the size range 5-18 nm with the occurring heating loss mechanisms when magnetic nanoparticle colloidal suspensions are subjected to high-frequency ac magnetic fields. The narrow size distribution of the nanoparticles enabled their clear classification into: 1) the superparamagnetic region (as large as 10 nm) where heating is mainly attributed to Neel relaxation; 2) the intermediate superparamagnetic-ferromagnetic transition region (10-13 nm); and 3) the ferromagnetic region (above 13 nm) where hysteresis losses dominate. The results from specific loss power measurements suggest that for size and concentration optimization, superparamagnetic nanoparticles may release significant amounts of heat to the surroundings, while the hysteresis losses mechanism appears to be much more efficient and the heat transfer provided through may be easier tuned for magnetically driven hyperthermia applications.

Fe-based nanoparticles as tunable magnetic particle hyperthermia agents

Magnetic hyperthermia, an alternative anticancer modality, is influenced by the composition, size, magnetic properties, and degree of aggregation of the corresponding nanoparticle heating agents. Here, we attempt to evaluate the AC magnetic field heating response of Fe-based nanoparticles prepared by solar physical vapor deposition, a facile, high-yield methodology. Nanoparticle systems were grown by evaporating targets of Fe and Fe3O4 with different stoichiometry. It is observed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles residing in the magnetic monodomain region exhibit increased heating efficiency together with high specific loss power values above 0.9 kW/g at 765 kHz and 24 kA/m, compared with that of 0.1 kW/g for zero-valent Fe nanoparticles under the same conditions. The enhanced performance of Fe3O4 nanoparticles under the range of field explored (12–24 kA/m) may be attributed to the activation of a magnetic hysteresis loss mechanism when the applied AC field surpasses the particle anisotropy field at H ≥ 0.5HA. Thi...

Optimizing magnetic nanoparticles for drinking water technology: The case of Cr(VI).

The potential of magnetite nanoparticles to be applied in drinking water treatment for the removal of hexavalent chromium is discussed. In this study, a method for their preparation which combines the use of low-cost iron sources (FeSO4 and Fe2(SO4)3) and a continuous flow mode, was developed. The produced magnetite nanoparticles with a size of around 20 nm, appeared relatively stable to passivation providing a removal capacity of 1.8 μg Cr(VI)/mg for a residual concentration of 50 μg/L when tested in natural water at pH7. Such efficiency is explained by the reducing ability of magnetite which turns Cr(VI) to an insoluble Cr(OH)3 form. The successful operation of a small-scale system consisting of a contact reactor and a magnetic separator demonstrates a way for the practical introduction and recovery of magnetite nanoparticles in water treatment technology.

Infrared spectroscopic and electronic transport properties of polycrystalline semiconducting FeSi2 thin films

Polycrystalline semiconducting FeSi2 thin films were grown on (100) Si substrates of high resistivity by electron beam evaporation of amorphous Si/Fe ultrathin multilayers in an ultrahigh vacuum system, followed by conventional vacuum furnace (CF) or rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Infrared reflectance and transmittance measurements were employed for optical characterization of the samples at room temperature. The results indicate a direct transition at about 0.85 eV, an indirect transition at about 0.79 eV, and exponential band tail states within the band gap. The quality of the silicide is improved by increasing the annealing temperature from 600 to 800 °C in the RTA process, while the opposite is observed in the CF annealed samples. Transport measurements were performed on a typical β‐FeSi2 layer of high quality grown by CF at low temperature. The measured mobility is about 97 cm2/V s and the hole concentration is about 1×1017 cm−3. The mobility is a factor of 10 higher and the hole concentration a fact...

Structural, magnetic, and spectroscopic magneto-optical properties aspects of Pt–Co multilayers with intentionally alloyed layers

Polycrystalline Pt–Co multilayers with intentionally alloyed layers were grown by e-beam evaporation on polyimide, Si, and glass substrates. X-ray diffraction spectra show that the multilayered structure of the samples degrades as compared to conventional Pt–Co multilayers. This degradation depends on the compositional variation of the intentionally alloyed layers. Magnetometry measurements reveal enhanced magnetization values for all samples, exceeding even by 90% the one of bulk Co, at a temperature of 10 K. This is attributed to both Pt-induced and enhanced Co magnetic moments, according to x-ray magnetic circular dichroism experiments. Spectroscopic magneto-optic measurements reveal large negative polar Kerr rotation maxima at photon energies between 4 and 4.4 eV due to the intense magneto-optic response of spin-polarized Pt.

Morphology influence on nanoscale magnetism of Co nanoparticles: Experimental and theoretical aspects of exchange bias

Co-based nanostructures ranging from core-shell to hollow nanoparticles were produced by varying the reaction time and the chemical environment during the thermal decomposition of Co2(CO)8. Both structural characterization and kinetic model simulation illustrate that the diffusivities of Co and oxygen determine the growth ratio and the final morphology of the nanoparticles. Exchange coupling between Co and Co-oxide in core/shell nanoparticles induced a shift of field-cooled hysteresis loops that is proportional to the shell thickness, as verified by numerical studies. The increased nanocomplexity when going from core/shell to hollow particles, also leads to the appearance of hysteresis above 300 K due to an enhancement of the surface anisotropy resulting from the additional spin-disordered surfaces.

Structural and spectroscopic magneto-optic studies of Pt–Ni multilayers

Ptm–Nin multilayers were grown by e-beam evaporation under ultrahigh vacuum; m and n will depict the number of atomic planes of the corresponding constituents in one modulation period and, in this work, they were varied between 1 and 14. X-ray diffraction and conventional electron microscopy experiments revealed a fcc polycrystalline structure with excellent modulation. Magneto-optic properties, studied at room temperature between 1.5 and 5.2 eV, were found to depend strongly on both m and n. Perpendicular anisotropy was exhibited for samples with thin Ni layers and, unexpectedly, for thicker Ni layers when Pt layers became considerably thin (m∼2). Comparison of the magneto-optic features of two similar samples grown on glass and polyimide revealed that the choice between glass and polyimide does not affect magneto-optic properties.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroic magnetometry on Ni/Pt multilayers

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements have been performed on Ni/Pt multilayers at a temperature of 10 K. The element specificity and shell selectivity of the technique allows us to probe Ni and Pt magnetic moments and to separate them into their constituent spin (μS) and orbital (μL) magnetic moments. The Ni magnetic moment at the interface is found to be reduced. However, magnetically “dead” Ni layers are unambiguously ruled out. Induced Pt magnetic moments up to about 0.3 μB/atom are reported. The results are compared to ab initio calculations and to previous experiments performed on NiPt alloys. The role of intermixing in the reduction of the Ni magnetic moments is also discussed.

Ferrimagnetic nanocrystal assemblies as versatile magnetic particle hyperthermia mediators.

Colloidal nanocrystal assemblies (nanoclusters), consisting of 13 nm iron oxide nanocrystals, were synthesized in various sizes (45-98 nm), and were investigated as heating mediators for magnetic particle hyperthermia. The colloidal nanocrystal clusters show enhanced heating efficiency in comparison with their constituent primary iron oxide nanocrystals due to collective magnetic features. The fine tuning of intra-cluster magnetic interactions results to the domination of the hysteresis losses mechanism over the relaxation loss heating contributions and eventually to a versatile magnetic particle hyperthermia mediator.