Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles are small spherical particles at the size of 7-20nm, made of magnetic material (such as magnetite) and are usually coated by a biocompatible material (such as polyethylene glycol). These particles can be used in several medical applications such as drug delivery and MRI contrast enhancement. This research takes advantage of the fact that these particles are producing heat when subjected to an alternating magnetic field (“AMF”). The heating is a result of two dominant thermal losses : Brownian losses and Neel losses .Brownian losses is a term used for heat generation by friction as a result of mechanical rotation of the particles caused by the AMF. Neel losses is a term used for heat generation by rotation of the magnetic moment caused by the AMF. Other effects such as “Hysteresis losses” and “Eddy current” are negligible in this particles size range.

© 2009 OSA, IEEE Photonics Society, SPIE, COS, CIC