Synthesis of Magnetic Particles Using Co-Precipitation Method for Biomedical Applications

Magnetic iron oxide particles are highly advantageous for biological applications (such as drug delivery) due to their magnetic properties coupled with their low toxicity and biocompatibility. We synthesized poly(vinyl alcohol)-ferrite magnetic particles using the co-precipitation method and characterized these particles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. Furthermore, we showed that the amount of ferrite encapsulated in the resulting particles is dependent upon the concentrations of: (1) poly(vinyl alcohol) polymer, and (2) iron chloride. The SEM micrographs demonstrated that these magnetic particles have nano-structural features, which have been previously shown to improve cell adhesion and function.¹ We observed that these particles were non-toxic to rat bone marrow stromal cells, i.e., cells adhered and spread-out on the magnetic particles after a 24-hour incubation period. We believe that these synthesized magnetic particles serve as promising platform  for applications in targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering.

1.         Liu, H.; Webster, T., Enhanced biological and mechanical properties of well-dispersed nanophase ceramics in polymer composites: from 2D to 3D printed structures. Materials Science and Engineering 2010.