2.1. Electronic and Magnetic Properties of mNPs
The proper functionality of mNPs for specific applications depends on their magnetic properties, as well as their biophysical behaviour under physiological conditions. While the latter is most efficiently captured by in vivo experiments, insight into the dependence of magnetic properties of nanometre-scale particles on their size, composition, and morphology can be reliably obtained by computer modelling techniques.
Magnetic properties of mNPs can be classified as intrinsic or extrinsic. The former are more important since they are derived from the interactions on an atomic length scale and highly depend on chemical composition and grain size, shape, and crystal microstructure. Additionally, they are much more affected by surface effects and therefore give rise to specific manifestations, such as superparamagnetism, that can only be found at the nanoscale level. These properties include magnetic saturation, anisotropy, and the Curie temperature.
Intrinsically, classification of mNPs based on the ordering of their magnetic moments corresponds to the classes of bulk metallic materials, and hence there are paramagnetic and ferromagnetic mNPs. Those that are paramagnetic exhibit no collective magnetic interactions and they are not magnetically ordered; however, in the presence of a magnetic field, there is a partial alignment of the atomic magnetic moments in the direction of the field, resulting in a net positive magnetisation. mNPs belonging to the ferromagnetic class exhibit long-range magnetic order below a certain critical temperature, resulting in large net magnetisation even in the absence of the magnetic field. If the diameter of the mNP is larger than the critical value,
DC, coupling interactions cause mutual spin alignment of adjacent atoms over large volume regions called magnetic domains. Domains are separated by domain walls, in which the direction of magnetisation of dipoles rotates smoothly from the direction in one domain towards the direction in the next. Once the diameter falls under the critical value (typically between 3 and 50 nm), mNPs can no longer accommodate a wall and each of them becomes a single domain. Additionally, since each domain is also a separate particle, there can be no interactions or ordering of domains within a sample, and particles do not retain any net magnetisation once the external field has been removed. This phenomenon is known as superparamagnetism. Superparamagnetic mNPs are, as the name suggests, much alike paramagnetic mNPs apart from the fact that this property arises from ferromagnetism. Their normal ferromagnetic movements combined with very short relaxation times enable the spins to randomly flip direction under the influence of temperature or to rapidly follow directional changes in the applied field. The temperature above which the thermal energy will be sufficient to suppress ferromagnetic behaviour is called the blocking temperature,
TB. Below
TB, the magnetisation is relatively stable and shows ferromagnetic behaviour, while for
T >
TB, the spins are as free as in a paramagnetic system and particles behave superparamagnetically. Blocking temperatures for most mNPs are below 100 K
[182][183][184][185], and their behaviour is therefore paramagnetic, as for most temperatures they are only magnetised in the presence of the external field, but their magnetisation values are in the range of ferromagnetic substances. Moreover, the strength of the external field needed to reach the saturation point of superparamagnetic mNPs is comparable to that of ferromagnetic mNPs.
The highest magnetisation that mNPs can obtain when exposed to a sufficiently large magnetic field is called the saturation magnetisation, MS. It is the maximum value of the material’s permeability curve, where permeability, μ, is the measure of magnetisation that a material obtains in response to an applied magnetic field (total magnetisation of material per volume). It is often correlated with the ratio of magnetisation to the intensity of an applied magnetic field H, which is known as the magnetic susceptibility, χ, and describes whether a material is attracted into or repelled out of a magnetic field. The magnitude of saturation is a function of temperature; once it is reached, no further increase in magnetisation can occur even by increasing the strength of the applied field. The unique temperature limit at which ferromagnetic mNPs can maintain permanent magnetisation is the Curie temperature, TC. Notably, when the mNP size is reduced from multidomain to a single domain, the magnitude of MS decreases due to the increment in the spin disorder effect at the surface; thus, the MS value is also directly proportional to the size of mNPs.
In almost all cases, magnetic materials contain some type of anisotropy that affects their magnetic behaviour. The most common types of anisotropy are (a) magneto-crystalline anisotropy (MCA), (b) surface anisotropy, (c) shape anisotropy, (d) exchange anisotropy, and (e) induced anisotropy (by stress, for example), where MCA and shape anisotropy are the most important in mNPs. Magneto-crystalline anisotropy is the tendency of the magnetisation to align along a specific spatial direction rather than randomly fluctuate over time. It arises from spin–orbit interactions and energetically favours alignment of the magnetic moments along the so-called easy axis. Factors affecting the MCA are the type of material, temperature, and impurities, whereas it does not depend on the shape and size of the mNP. Morphology effects are included in the shape anisotropy. Stress anisotropy implies that magnetisation might change with stress, for example when the surfaces are modified through ligand adsorption, which means that the surface structure can significantly influence the total anisotropy. Hence, due to the large ratio of surface to bulk atoms, the surface anisotropy of mNPs could be very significant, and the coating of mNPs can therefore have a strong influence on their magnetic anisotropies. Different types of anisotropy are often expressed simply as magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE), which determines the stability of the magnetisation by describing the dependence of the internal energy on the direction of spontaneous magnetisation. It has a strong effect on the values of extrinsic properties.
Extrinsic properties of mNPs are not as essential as the intrinsic. They are derived from long-range interactions and include magnetic coercivity and remnant magnetisation (remanence), which are dependent on microstructural factors, such as the orientation of intermetallic phases.
Magnetic coercivity, HC, can be described as a resistance of a magnetic material to changes in magnetisation, and it is equivalent to the magnitude of the external magnetic field needed to demagnetise material that has previously been magnetised to its saturation point. Ferromagnetic mNPs that have reached saturation cannot return to zero magnetisation in the same direction once the applied field has been removed, and the magnetic field is therefore applied in the opposite direction. This process leads to the creation of a loop known as hysteresis. Hysteresis loops indicate the correlation between the magnetic field and the induced flux density (B/H curves). Superparamagnetic mNPs each have only one domain, and no hysteresis loop is obtained when the applied field is reversed. Remnant magnetisation, Mr, is magnetisation left after the magnetic field has been removed. Once the saturation has occurred and a magnetic field is no longer applied, ferromagnetic mNPs will produce an auxiliary magnetic field and resist sudden change to remain magnetised. In contrast, superparamagnetic mNPs will behave as paramagnets with instant need for demagnetisation and negligible Mr. This property allows for ferromagnetic mNPs to gain magnetic memory.
2.2. Biomedically Desired Properties of mNPs
Specifics of the application of interest govern the desired properties of materials used, as was described briefly for the diagnostics and therapy methods in the previous section. In biomedicine, the safety of the treatment towards a patient is the highest priority, and hence superparamagnetic mNPs are preferred because they are magnetised only under the influence of an external magnetic field and quickly demagnetise otherwise, which makes them safer for the human body. This implies that no coercive forces or remanence exist, preventing magnetic interactions between particles and their aggregation, which could lead to adverse problems derived from the formation of clots in the blood circulation system. Saturation magnetisation is also a substantial factor for two reasons: (1) mNPs with high MS show a more prominent response to the external magnetic field; (2) high MS makes the movements of mNPs more controllable and guarantees efficient response to the magnetic field, implying reduced time of residence and lower required dosages of mNPs. MS is dependent on the mNP magnetic moment, size, and distribution, and it is thus important to take them into consideration. An increase in size yields higher MS, but above the critical diameter, mNPs become ferromagnetic and show undesired behaviour due to the formation of agglomerates and magnetic memory. Moreover, very small diameter sizes are highly desirable to reach regions of limited access; in order to cross the blood–brain barrier, for example, a magnetic core size of d ≈ 12 nm or less is required. Thus, a suitable balance should be found between the size distribution and magnetic properties. Since mNP-based therapies work by directing the mNPs to a target site using an external magnetic field, magnetic anisotropy is also a very important factor.
Alongside these general requirements that are applicable to all biomedical applications, to enhance the performance of mNPs within MRI diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy it is essential to gain insight into the inherent mechanisms behind their magnetic processes and assess the properties of mNPs and external magnetic field parameters for optimal treatment results.