Superparamagnetic-like Micrometric Single Crystalline Magnetite for Biomedical Application Synthesis and Characterization

Single-crystalline magnetite (Fe3O4) particles having a size beyond the nanometric range (1 µm to 50 µm) and showing high (close to the bulk value) saturation-specific magnetization (σs = 92 emu/g), were obtained by the hydrothermal decomposition of the Fe-EDTA complex. The very low values of the magnetic remanence (σr = 0.82 emu/g) and coercitivity (μoHc = 1.53 mT) observed at room temperature (RT) suggest a superparamagnetic-like behavior, which is quite remarkable for such micrometric magnetite particles. As confirmed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM)-based measurements, minor changes in their magnetic properties occur between RT and 5K. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has revealed a morphology consisting of a combination of non-porous octahedral- and dodecahedral-shaped particles, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) has indicated high elemental (Fe and O) purity, whereas X-ray diffraction (XRD) has confirmed a single crystal structure. The nitrogen adsorbtion–desorption isotherm and pore size distribution are presented for the magnetite sample. Thermomagnetic records under zero field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) conditions have revealed a thermal hysteresis of the Verwey transition.The Verwey point (TV) at which the major step of the phase transformation takes place is located around 132 K for heating and around 122 K for cooling. These microcrystals do not remain agglomerated when the polarizing field is removed, an essential requirement in biomedical applications is met.