Dumbbell-like Au–Fe3O4 nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia

Dumbbell-shaped hybrid nanoparticles, consisting of gold and iron oxide (Au-Fe3O4 NPs), show promise for magnetic hyperthermia cancer therapy. However, conventional synthesis methods using toxic iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)5) raise safety concerns. We propose a safer approach using triiron dodecacarbonyl (Fe3(CO)12) as a precursor. We synthesize these NPs by initially reducing gold (III) chloride trihydrate with a tert-butylamine-borane complex at room temperature, yielding Au NPs. These Au NPs are combined with a Fe3(CO)12 solution and heated to 300 °C for 1 hour, resulting in the desired dumbbell-shaped Au-Fe3O4 NPs. Characterization confirms their morphology, with average sizes of 5 nm for Au NPs and 15 nm for Fe3O4 NPs. Our systematic evaluation of hydrophilic-treated Au-Fe3O4 NPs (Ms=49.5 emu/g at 3T, 300K) demonstrates temperature increases beyond the therapeutic threshold of 45 °C (ΔT=8 °C) at higher field strengths (8.6–30.0 kA/m), highlighting their cancer treatment potential. Quantitative analysis reveals superb performance, with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 60.0 W/g and intrinsic loss power (ILP) of 0.25 nHm2kg−1 at the maximum field strength. These findings emphasize the significant potential of our dumbbell-shaped Au–Fe3O4 NPs for magnetic hyperthermia.