Cancer Treatment
Magnetic
nanoparticles have been examined for use in an experimental cancer
treatment called magnetic hyperthermia in which an
alternating magnetic field (AMF) is used to heat the nanoparticles. To achieve
sufficient magnetic nanoparticle heating, the AMF typically has a frequency
between 100–500 kHz, although significant research has been done at lower
frequencies as well as frequencies as high as 10 MHz, with the amplitude
of the field usually between 8-16kAm−1
Bacteria Detection
Magnetic
nanoparticles can be conjugated with carbohydrates and used for detection of
bacteria. Iron oxide particles have been used for the detection of Gram negative
bacteria like Escherichia coli and for detection of Gram positive
bacteria like Streptococcus suis.
Magnetic Immunoassays
Magnetic
immunoassay (MIA) is a type of diagnostic immunoassay utilizing magnetic
nanobeads as labels in place of conventional immunoassays. This assay
involves the specific binding of an antibody to its antigen, where a magnetic
label is conjugated to one element of the pair. The presence of magnetic
nanobeads is then detected by a magnetic reader (magnetometer) which
measures the magnetic field change induced by the beads. The signal measured by
the magnetometer is proportional to the analyte (virus, toxin, bacteria,
cardiac marker etc.) quantity in the initial sample.
Waste Water Treatment
Magnetic
nanoparticles have a potential for treatment of contaminated water. Attachment
of EDTA-like chelators to carbon coated metal nanomagnets results in a magnetic
reagent for the rapid removal of heavy metals from solutions or contaminated
water by three orders of magnitude to concentrations as low as micrograms per litre.
Catalyst support
A
catalyst support is the material, usually a solid with a high surface area, to
which a catalyst is affixed. The reactivity of heterogeneous catalysts occurs
at the surface atoms. Typical supports include various kinds of carbon,
alumina, and silica. Immobilizing the catalytic center on top of nanoparticles
with a large surface to volume ratio addresses this problem. In the
case of magnetic nanoparticles it adds the property of facile separation.
Biomedical imaging
There
are many applications for iron-oxide based nanoparticles in concert with magnetic
resonance imaging. Magnetic CoPt nanoparticles are being used as an MRI
contrast agent for transplanted neural stem cell detection.
Information storage
A
method for high-density storage is the face-centered tetragonal phase FePt
alloy. Grain sizes can be as small as 3 nanometers. If it's possible to modify
the MNPs at this small scale, the information density that can be achieved with
this media could easily surpass 1 Terabyte per square inch.
Genetic engineering
Magnetic
nanoparticles can be used for a variety of genetics applications. One
application is the rapid isolation of mRNA. In one application, the magnetic
bead is attached to a poly T tail. When mixed with mRNA, the poly A tail of the
mRNA will attach to the bead's poly T tail and the isolation takes place simply
by placing a magnet on the side of the tube and pouring out the liquid.
Magnetic beads have also been used in plasmid assembly.