Heating efficiency and correlation between the structural and magnetic properties of oleic acid coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia application

In pursuit of developing magnetic nanoparticles with optimal heat dissipation capabilities, we have successfully synthesized manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) nanoparticles coated with various concentrations of oleic acid (OA) via co-precipitation. We found that the particle size decreases gradually with increasing OA concentration (35 nm for 0% OA → 30 nm for 5% OA → 27 nm for 7% OA → 20 nm for 9% OA), which was confirmed by the x-ray diffractogram, Williamson–Hall plot and transmission electron micrograph. We also observe a decrease in lattice parameter, and interestingly, change in the shape of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles to quasi-cubic with the increase of OA concentration. These structural changes also manifest in the cation re-distribution, bond length and angle between the octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The magnetic properties are determined by vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM), which shows an increase in the saturation magnetization (M s) from 26 emu g−1 to 38 emu g−1 with almost negligible coercivity, indicating the superparamagnetic nature of the nanoparticles. Finally, the efficiency of induction heating is measured by its specific absorption rate (SAR) and intrinsic loss power (ILP), whose value varies as a function of saturation magnetization, engendered by the changes in the structural motifs of the MnFe2O4 nanoparticles under the influence of OA coating and their concentrations. This study demonstrates the quantitative link between the size, shape and magnetic anisotropy, which are intimately entwined with the heating performance of the nanoparticle.