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Aidin Lak

Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy

This study aims to broaden and deepen the knowledge about the underlying physics of magnetic hyperthermia heating mechanisms in iron oxide nanocubes. The nanocubes with an exchange-biased FeO/Fe₃O₄ antiferromagnetic-ferrimagnetic (AFM-FiM) core-shell structure were synthesized via a thermal decomposition method. Having employed a stepwise thermal oxidation process, we have tuned the fraction of AFM and FiM phases in these particles in a systematic manner. Within this STSM, we have performed AC hysteresis and specific absorption rate (SAR) measurements on the particle aqueous solutions having different magnetic domain sizes in both water and viscos media, as an attempt to mimic the magnetic response of these nanocubes after being bound to proteins and biomolecules in the body. The AC magnetometry results showed that the magnetization dynamics of the nanocubes alter substantially as went through longer thermal annealing process.  The studies on the viscos mixture of the nanocubes revealed that 18 nm sized nanocubes are almost entirely viscosity independent, yet showing a high heating performance at the field and frequency values below the biological limit i.e. H*f< 5x10⁹ A/m s. The larger nanocubes showed a more significant response to the viscosity change, as reflected in a substantial drop in their heating performance. To complete this study, a series of in-vitro hyperthermia experiments on cancer cell lines is planned to be carried out. These experiments will enable us to understand if the dynamics of the nanocubes in an actual viscos medium such as the cells would be similar to a rather trivial viscos medium like Glycerol. The in-vitro hyperthermia treatment efficacy of the optimal nanocubes being marginally affected by viscosity will be analysed.