Improving magnetic properties of Mn and Zn doped polyhedral core/shell iron oxide nanoparticles by tuning their size

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONPs) offer promising applications in nanomedicine due to their appealing properties.  Their magnetic and magnetic hyperthermia properties are considered as relevant tools for low invasive cancer therapeutic applications. In this work, we report on the synthesis of polyhedral core/shell SPIONPs. Their size was tuned to improve their magnetic properties. Furthermore, by hybridizing into a core/shell inorganic/inorganic structure, the nanoparticles can achieve significantly improved magnetic-to-thermal energy conversion efficiency (at least of 10 fold). The designed core NPs will then be composed of a core composed of Zn _0.4 Fe _2.6 O ₄ and a shell of MnFe ₂ O ₄ . Their size and morphology were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infra- red (FTIR) was used to investigate their chemical composition. The iron oxide phase was confirmed by Mössbauer analysis, and their magnetic properties were studied to select the ideal size for magnetic hyperthermia application.