Uniform Magnetite Nanoparticles Prepared by High Temperature Decomposition in a Organic Solvent

Magnetic nanoparticles are currently one of the most fashionable and promising materials because of their multiple applications in computing, electronic devices or biomedicine [1-3]. In particular in the biomedicine field, magnetic nanoparticles in the form of colloidal aqueous suspensions, have found applications as magnetic separators, contrast agents for NMR imaging, drug delivering and hyperthermia treatments [4]. The performance of this material will be strongly dependent on the chemical and physical characteristics of the nanoparticles and its surface. The control of particle size and shape and their distribution, the crystallinity, and the colloidal and magnetic properties, such as saturation magnetization and susceptibility are of crucial importance and depend, at a great extend, on the synthesis method chosen to prepare the particles [5]. Finally it should be emphasized that the use of uniform particles for in vivo applications allows the reduction of the doses injected to get a certain signal and avoids secondary effects coming from a wide particle size distribution [5].