Synthesis of mono disperse magnetic nanoparticles prepared on block copolymer templates for medical imaging techniques

The purpose of this study is to develop biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles serving as contrast agents in magnetic imaging with narrow size distribution. The nanoparticles are prepared by combined top-down and bottom-up approach which relies on the use of self-assembled PS-PMMA diblock copolymer templates. Materials being studied include nickel, permalloy, and magnetite nanoparticles. SEM and SQUID magnetometry are used for structural and magnetic characterization, respectively. Hysteresis loops show that the nanoparticles are superparamagnetic which is an important property for biomedical applications.