Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Thanks to their unique properties, inorganic nanostructures have become the center of modern material science. Among existing nanomaterials, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) have attracted a lot of interest. These nanoparticles are suitable for many technological applications such as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging. When comparing to molecular MRI probes (Gd-based organic complexes), IONP present many advantages such as a better sensitivity, a poor toxicity, and the possibility to easily modify their surface to develop some properties as multimodality, modulable half-life or specificity. However, one must stress that these properties are related to IONP’s composition, shape and stability (physical and chemical). In that paper, we will introduce some concepts related to IONP’s physico-chemical properties, the synthetic ways to obtain such structures and we will finish with some concepts governing their stability and surface modification.