Using a water-in-oil microemulsion with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as the surfactant, iron was reduced to form a metallic core on which a passivating oxide shell was grown. Transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and heating measurements were used to characterize these monodispersed magnetic Fe∕Fe3O4 composite nanoparticles with respect to the possible application for magnetic hyperthermia treatments of cancer. The aim is to utilize the fact that an iron core (high saturation magnetization) will give a greater heating effect than iron oxide, while the iron oxide coating will allow the nanoparticles to be observed using magnetic resonance imaging so that therapy can be effectively monitored and targeted. The largest specific absorption rate obtained was 345W∕g under an alternating magnetic field of 150Oe at 250kHz.

Dislocations in the spinodal alloy Fe(30)Ni(20)Mn(25)Al(25), which is composed of alternating BCC and B2 (ordered BCC) phases, have been investigated using weak-beam transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The alloy was compressed at room temperature in an as-hot-extruded state to strains of approximately 3% for post-mortem dislocation analysis. Dislocations with a/2<111> Burgers vectors were found to glide in pairs on both {110} and {112} slip planes. TEM in situ straining experiments were also performed on both the as-extruded alloy and an arc-melted alloy. The in situ straining observations confirmed that dislocations were able to pass between both spinodal phases. Partial dislocation separations were relatively wide in the BCC phase and narrow in the B2 phase. Dislocation glide, as opposed to twinning (both of which have been observed in other BCC-based spinodals), was also found to be the only room temperature deformation mechanism.

Fe/Fe oxide nanoparticles, in which the core consists of metallic Fe and the shell is composed of Fe oxides, were obtained by reduction of an aqueous solution of FeCl 3 within a NaBH 4 solution, or, using a water-in-oil micro-emulsion with CTAB as the surfactant. The reduction was performed either in an inert atmosphere or in air, and passivation with air was performed to produce the Fe/Fe 3 O 4 core/shell composite. Phase identification and particle size were determined by X-ray diffraction and TEM. Thermal analysis was performed using a differential scanning calorimeter. The quasistatic magnetic properties were measured using a VSM, and the specific absorption rates (SARs) of both Fe oxide and Fe/Fe 3 O 4 composite nanoparticles either dispersed in methanol or in an epoxy resin were measured by Luxtron fiber temperature sensors in an alternating magnetic field of 150 Oe at 250 kHz. It was found that the preparation conditions, including the concentrations of solutions, the mixing procedure and the heat treatment, influence the particle size, the crystal structure and consequently the magnetic properties of the particles. Compared with Fe oxides, the saturation magnetization (M S ) of Fe/Fe 3 O 4 particles (100-190 emu/g) can be twice as high, and the coercivity (H C ) can be tunable from several Oe to several hundred Oe. Hence, the SAR of Fe/Fe 3 O 4 composite nanoparticles can be much higher than that of Fe oxides, with a maximum SAR of 345 W/g. The heating behavior is related to the magnetic behavior of the nanoparticles.

No abstract

No abstract