• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.102-106
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• 2006

Magnetic nanoparticles can be used for a variety of biomedical applications. They can be used in the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents in vivo, in the hyperthermic treatment of cancers. in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as contrast agents and in the biomagnetic separations of biomolecules. We have synthesized magnetite $(Fe_3O_4)$ nanoparticles using chemical coprecipitation technique with sodium oleate as surfactant. Nanoparticle size can be varied from 2 to 8nm by controlling the sodium oleate concentration. Magnetite phase nanoparticles could be observed from X-ray diffraction. Magnetic colloid suspensions containing particles with sodium oleate and chitosan have been prepared. Nanoparticles, both oleate-coated and chitosan-coated, have been characterized by several techniques. Atomic farce microscope (AFM) was used to image the coated nanoparticles. Magnetic hysteresis measurement were performed using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer at room temperature to investigate the magnetic properties of the magnetite nanoparticles. The SQUID measurements revealed superparamagnetism of nanoparticles.