Properties of Dense Assemblies of Magnetic Nanoparticles Promising for Application in Biomedicine

Chemically synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles and magnetosomes produced by magnetotactic bacteria are of great importance for application in biomedicine. In this paper, we discuss the complicated magnetic anisotropy of the nanoparticles, the influence of the magnetostatic interactions, and thermal fluctuations on the behavior of these assemblies. Numerical simulation for dilute assemblies of iron oxide nanoparticles with combined magnetic anisotropy show that the uniaxial shape anisotropy dominates even for small aspect ratios of the particle, L/D≥1.1–1.2. The quasistatic hysteresis loops are calculated for various clusters of bacterial magnetosomes with diameters D=40–60 nm to understand the influence of magnetostatic interactions. The specific absorption rate (SAR) is calculated for assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in solid and liquid media. A new electrodynamic method of measurement is used to obtain the SAR of the assembly of bacterial magnetosomes with average diameter D=48 nm.