"Nanostructural Evolution FeCo/Ferrite and FeNi Nanoparticles and their Use in Ferrofluids and Polymeric Nanocomposite Systems for Biomedical Applications"

Michael McHenry

Carnegie Mellon University

Important to many applications of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is the high frequency switching and power absorption of air stable materials. MNPs amenable to functionalization for synthesis of aqueous magnetic fluids (ferrofluids) make them attractive for biomedical applications and their incorporation into polymer nanocomposites. For example, the efficient point source heating of metallic nanoparticles can be exploited for thermoablative cancer therapies and to tag and change the shape of tissue scaffolds important to regenerative medicine. Biomagnetic applications are actively pursued by CMU Materials Science and Engineering faculty in providing research and design projects to a growing number of students who opt to pursue a double major with biomedical engineering (BME). This talk will discuss research addressing biomedical applications of FeCo/(Fe,Co)3O4 core shell nanostructures. The potential importance of these materials in uses in biomedical applications will be discussed with illustrations of ferrofluid, ferrogel and MNP/polymer nanocomposites. Ferrogels (cross-linked polymers loaded with magnetic particles) are exciting smart materials because of their magnetic shape memory effects. They use magnetic particle chaining in a polymer matrix in response to an applied magnetic field to change the mechanical state of the nanocomposites. Depending on the type of application, the mechanical or thermal response of a magnetic particle-reinforced polymer composite can be tailored as a function of combined applied DC and AC magnetic fields.


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