SUPERPARAMAGNETISM Limits and Applications

Langevin function (red line), compared with tanh(x / 3) (blue line).

Superparamagnetism occurs in nanoparticles which are single-domain, i.e. composed of a single magnetic domain. This is possible when their diameter is below 3-50 nm, depending on the materials.

In this condition, it is considered that the magnetization of the nanoparticles is a single giant magnetic moment, sum of all the individual magnetic moments carried by the atoms of the nanoparticle.

Metal nanoclusters of an element behave differently than bulk matter of the same element.
d-orbital overlap reduces magnetic moment per atom. Metal nanoclusters phenomenon exhibit magnetic shell

Metal nanoclusters do not lose their magnetization as quickly above the Curie temp.

Metal nanoclusters behavior.

exhibit

superparamagnetic

Superparamagnetism provides a theoretical minimum size per bit in magnetic moment based memory systems

BASIS FERROMAGNETISM
Materials: Fe, Co, Ni, Gd Spins of unfilled d-bands spontaneously align parallel inside a domain below a critical temperature TC (Curie)

Ferro-magnetism:

HYSTERESIS LOOP OF FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS

SUPERPARAMAGNETISM - A SIZE EFFECT Magnetic Properties of Nanostructured Materials:

SUPERPARAMAGNETISM - A SIZE EFFECT

Superparamagnetism

EVOLUTION OF MAGNETIC DATA STORRAGE

LIMITS AND APPLICATIONS Magnetic Data Storage:

Solutions to minimize bit size:

APPLICATIONS OF SUPERPARAMAGNETISM Biomedical applications Detection: MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging Separation: Cell-, DNA-, protein- separation, RNA fishing Treatment: Drug delivery, hyperthermia, magnetofaction Other applications: Ferrofluid: Tunable viscosity Sensors: high sensitivity (GMR, BARCIII) Self - Assembling

SPION = S uperparamagnetic I on O xide N anoparticle

Particles with attached drug can be injected and guided through the body by application of an external field.

??? WHY SUPERPARAMAGNETIC PARTICLES ???

Therapeutic effect on several types of tumours Injection of superparamagnetic nanoparticles translocation of the particles to the tumour uptake of the nanoparticles by cancerous cells application of an external alternative magnet field > provides energy for the magnetic moments to change magnetisation direction

> Superparamagnetic relaxation: energy = heat

dissipated

Cancerous cells have higher temperature senstivity than healthy cells No danger of thrombosis, no remanent magnetisation!