Magnetic heating by silica-coated Co–Zn ferrite particles

This study is aimed at the preparation of silica-coated nanoparticles of cobalt–zinc ferrite and their heating properties with respect to potential application in magnetic fluid hyperthermia. The magnetic cores of Co0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4+γ possessing two different sizes were prepared by the coprecipitation method followed by annealing and mechanical treatment. The subsequent encapsulation of the samples by silica led to colloidally stable suspensions in water. The single phase character of the cores was confirmed by x-ray powder diffraction while detailed studies of the coated products by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the silica shell had a thickness of at least 5 nm. The dc magnetic measurements were employed in order to determine the concentrations of magnetic particles in suspensions and to analyse the distribution of blocking temperatures. The heating efficiency of the nanoparticles was studied simultaneously by means of magnetic and calorimetric measurements in various ac fields. Specifically, the magnetic losses were calculated from the ac hysteresis loops while the heating effect of the nanoparticles was determined by measuring the time dependence of the temperature of their suspensions. The evaluation of the heating power from the latter experiments was supplemented by deriving the corrections for non-adiabatic properties of the calorimeter. More accurate results enabled detailed analysis and comparison with data published for other heating agents.