Comparison Of Dispersion And Actuation Properties Of Vortex And Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Particles For Biotechnological Applications

Magnetic nanoparticles are receiving an increasing interest for various biotechnological applications due to the capability that they offer to exert actuation on biological species via external magnetic fields. In this study, two types of magnetic particles recently proposed for cancer cells treatment were compared. Both are prepared by top-down approaches and imitate the properties of superparamagnetic particles. One type is made of a single magnetic layer and has a magnetic vortex configuration. The second type has a multilayered structure called synthetic antiferromagnet. Once released in solution, the agglomeration/dispersion of these particles due to their magnetostatic interactions was compared as well as the mechanical torque that they can generate when submitted to an external magnetic field. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.