TERM PAPER ON

MAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITES

Submitted by
Roll no:

Department of Mechanical Engineering

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela-769008

Contents
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Introduction
Brief History
Magnetic Properties
Types of MNC
Synthesis
Applications
Conclusion
References

3
4
6
10
14
18
22
23

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Materials with features on the scale of nanometer often have properties dramatically different
from their bulk scale counterparts. Nanocrystalline materials are single phase or multiphase
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polycrystals, the crystal size of which is of the order of few nanometers so that about 40 to 80
% of the atoms are in the grain boundaries [1]. Nanostructure science and technology is a
broad and interdisciplinary area of research and development activity that has been growing
worldwide in the past decades. Important among these nanoscale materials are
nanocomposites, in which the constituents are mixed at nanometer length scale. They often
have properties that are different compared to conventional micro scale composites and can
be synthesized using simple and inexpensive techniques. The study of nanocomposite
materials requires a multidisciplinary approach with impressive technological promise,
involving novel synthesis techniques and an understanding of physics and surface science.
During the last decade, the development of magnetic nanocomposite materials has been the
source of discovery of spectacular new phenomena, with potential applications in the fields of
information technology, telecommunication or medicine. Magnetic nanocomposite materials
are generally composed of ferromagnetic particles (grain size in nanometer scale) distributed
either in a non-magnetic or magnetic matrix. The shape, size and distribution of the magnetic
particles play an important role in determining the properties of such materials [2]. The
matrix phase separates the magnetic particles and changes the magnetic exchange interaction.
This affects the transport and magnetic properties. Therefore, understanding and controlling
the structure of materials is essential to obtain desired physical properties.

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CHAPTER II
BRIEF HISTORY
Nanocomposite magnetic materials have their origins in the amorphous alloys that were
brought to market in the 1970's. Amorphous materials are characterized by a lack of long
range atomic order, similar to that of the liquid state. Production techniques include rapid
quenching from the melt and physical vapour deposition is another. The lack of crystallinity
causes amorphous materials to have a very low magnetic anisotropy. METGLAS 2605
Fe78Si13B9 is a common amorphous magnetic alloy, in which B acts as a glass forming
element. The importance of anisotropy suggests searching for other materials with isotropic
magnetic properties. In magnetic materials the ferromagnetic exchange length expresses the
characteristic distance over which a magnetic atom influences it's environment, and has
values on the order of 100 nm. If the magnet has a structure with grain diameters smaller than
the exchange length, it becomes possible to "average" the anisotropy of the grains to a low
bulk value. Such a material then realizes the high saturation magnetisation (Ms) of the
crystalline state and low coercivity (Hc) due to randomized anisotropy.
In 1988 Y.Yoshizawa [3] developed the FINEMET alloy based on Fe73.5
Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1. This was an extension of the common Fe-Si-B alloy with Cu as a
nucleation agent and Nb as a grain refiner. The material is produced in the amorphous state
and then crystallized by annealing. Nb that segregates to the grain boundaries acts a diffusion
barrier preventing grain growth. The structure is a nanocomposite of 10- 100 nm diameter
bcc- FeSi grains embedded in an amorphous intergranular matrix.
In 1990 K.Suzuki [4] reported the development of the Fe88Zr7B4Cu1 alloy which was
named NANOPERM. Zr and B act as glass forming agents in this alloy and the
microstructure consists of -Fe grains embedded in an amorphous matrix. By eliminating Si,
higher saturation inductions are achieved than in FINEMET, but the Hc are also higher. The
amorphous intergranular phase in both FINEMET and NANOPERM have Curie temperatures
lower than that of the nanocrystalline grains.

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In 1998 M.A. Willard [5] reported the development of HITPERM, an alloy based on the
composition Fe44Co44Zr7B4Cu1. The key distinction is the substitution of Co for Fe.
HITPERM forms '- FeCo grains in a Co enriched amorphous matrix. The amorphous matrix
has a Curie temperature higher than the primary crystallization temperature of the alloy. This
allows the '-FeCo grains to remain exchange coupled at high operating temperatures. Due to
the presence of Co, HITPERM alloy has an Ms higher than FINEMET or NANOPERM as
well as a higher Hc.

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CHAPTER III
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF NANOMATERIALS
The effect of reducing the physical size of materials is of great importance
from both
fundamental considerations and modern practice. A brief discussion of
magnetic behavior of
low dimensional systems is focused based on literature. Magnetic
nanoparticles exhibit specific properties such as coercivity and
superparamagnetism, generally attributed to reduced dimensions.
3.1 Coercivity
The coercivity of fine particles has a striking dependence on their size. Fig.
1 shows
very schematically, how the size range is divided, in relation to the
variation of coercivity
with particle radius r.

Fig. 1: Overview of the size dependence of coercivity exhibited by magnetic

particles: HC = 0 below

superparamagnetic (SP) particle size limit r0; single-

domain behavior (SD) between r0 and the single domain limit rc; and multidomain
behavior (MD) for r > rc.

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Beginning at larger size the following regions can be distinguished:

(i) Multi-domain (MD): It is observed for r > rc and in this region, the
coercivity
decreases as the particle size increases and the coercivity Hc is found to
vary with
size as ~ 1/ rn.
(ii) Single-domain (SD): For r0 < r < rc, the particles become single
domain and in this
size range, the coercivity reaches a maximum.
(iii) Superparamagnetic (SP): Below a critical size r0, the coercivity is zero
because of
thermal effect, which is strong enough to spontaneously demagnetize the
assembly
of magnetic particles.
3.2 Superparamagnetism
The effective magnetic moment of a ferromagnetic particle is determined
by its size. A
ferromagnetic sample with a volume greater than a critical value Vc
divides into multiple
magnetic domains, each magnetized along the local easy axis but in one
of two opposite
directions. The multiple domain structure is, however, no longer favorable
below the critical
volume, and the particle becomes a single domain with ferromagnetic
alignment of all its
moments along the easy axis in the same direction. Thermal fluctuations
of the moment exist
on a microscopic scale, but to reverse the direction of the single domain's
magnetization
requires an energy E to overcome the crystal-field anisotropy. If single
domain particles
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become small enough, KV would become so small that thermal

fluctuations could overcome
the anisotropy forces and spontaneously reverse the magnetization of a
particle from one easy
direction to the other, even in the absence of an applied field. Each
particle has a magnetic
moment = MsV and, if a field is applied, the field will tend to align the
moments of the
particles and the thermal energy will tend to disalign them. This is called
superparamagnetism.
The probability of such a reversal by thermal activation is proportional to
exp (-E/kT). This
differs from conventional paramagnetism because the effective moment
of the particle is the
sum of its ionic particles, which can be several thousand spins in a
ferromagnetic particle
small enough to show superparamagnetism .
Very fine ferromagnetic particles have very short relaxation times even at
room
temperature and behave superparamagnetically; that is, their behavior is
paramagnetic but
their magnetization values are typical of ferromagnetic substances. The
individual particles
have normal ferromagnetic moments but very short relaxation times so
that they can rapidly
follow directional changes of an applied field and, on removal of the field,
do not hold any
remanent moment. Superparamagnetism is characterized by two
experimental features:
1. There is no hysteresis; (i.e., both the retentivity and the coercivity are
zero) in the field
dependence of magnetization.

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2. Magnetization curves measured at different temperatures superimpose

when
magnetization (M) is plotted as a function of Field (H) / temperature (T).
Superparamagnetism can be destroyed by cooling. This follows because
the characteristic
fluctuation time for a particle's moment varies exponentially with
temperature, so the
magnetization appears to switch sharply to a stable state as the
temperature is reduced. The
temperature at which this occurs is called the blocking temperature (TB),
and it depends
linearly on the sample's volume and on the magnitude of the crystal-field
anisotropy.
In the case of superparamagnetic materials, the magnetization shows
temperature and
path dependence which is shown schematically in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2: Schematic diagram of ZFC and FC magnetization curves as a function of

temperature taken in an applied field H. Arrow indicates blocking temperature, TB.

The two curves zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) show different
behavior

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at low temperatures. As the temperature increases the magnetic moment

in the FC curve
decreases. However, as the temperature begins to rise from 5 K, the
moment in the ZFC curve begins to increase. At a certain temperature, the
ZFC curve reaches a peak and this
temperature is called the blocking temperature (TB). The divergence of
ZFC and FC curve and the blocking temperature depend on the particle
size and its distribution. The blocking
temperature of a substance should decrease with increasing applied field
and eventually
disappear when the field reaches a critical value. The higher field is
expected to lower the
barriers between the two easy axis orientations.
For a particle of constant size below the blocking temperature TB, the
magnetization
will be stable and shows hysteresis. It refers to particles which have
relaxation time for
demagnetization longer than 100 sec. For uniaxial particles using the
same criterion for
stability gives,
TB =KV/25k
Where K = Anisotropy constant
V = Volume of the particle
k = Boltzmanns constant (1.38 10-23 J K-1)
If one considers Ni as a classical example with an anisotropy constant K =
4.5 103 J
m-3 then for a size 20 nm, the particle will show a blocking temperature
(TB) at ~ 55 K using
equation above. Below TB, the magnetization will have relatively stable
and shows ferromagnetic behavior. While above TB, the thermal energy

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will be sufficient to suppress the ferromagnetic behavior and thus the

particles become superparamagnetic.

CHAPTER IV
TYPES OF MAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITES
4.1 Ceramic-matrix nanocomposites
In this group of composites the main part of the volume is occupied by
a ceramic, i.e. a chemical compound from the group of oxides, nitrides,
borides, silicides etc.. In most cases, ceramic-matrix nanocomposites
encompass a metal as the second component. Ideally both components,
the metallic one and the ceramic one, are finely dispersed in each other in
order to elicit the particular nanoscopic properties. Nanocomposite from
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these combinations were demonstrated in improving their optical,

electrical and magnetic properties as well as tribological, corrosionresistance and other protective properties.
The binary phase diagram of the mixture should be considered in
designing ceramic-metal nanocomposites and measures have to be taken
to avoid a chemical reaction between both components. The last point
mainly is of importance for the metallic component that may easily react
with the ceramic and thereby lose its metallic character. This is not an
easily obeyed constraint, because the preparation of the ceramic
component generally requires high process temperatures. The most safe
measure thus is to carefully choose immiscible metal and ceramic phases.
A good example for such a combination is represented by the ceramicmetal composite of TiO2 and Cu, the mixtures of which were found
immiscible over large areas in the Gibbs triangle of Cu-O-Ti.
The concept of ceramic-matrix nanocomposites was also applied to thin
films that are solid layers of a few nm to some tens of m thickness
deposited upon an underlying substrate and that play an important role in
the functionalization of technical surfaces. Gas flow sputtering by the
hollow cathode technique turned out as a rather effective technique for
the preparation of nanocomposite layers. The process operates as a
vacuum based deposition technique and is associated with high
deposition rates up to some m/s and the growth of nanoparticles in the
gas phase. Nanocomposite layers in the ceramics range of composition
were prepared from TiO2 and Cu by the hollow cathode technique that
showed a high mechanical hardness, small coefficients of friction and a
high resistance to corrosion.

4.2 Metal-matrix nanocomposites

Metal matrix nanocomposites can also be defined as reinforced metal
matrix composites. This type of composites can be classified as
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continuous and non-continuous reinforced materials. One of the more

important nanocomposites is Carbon nanotube metal matrix composites,
which is an emerging new material that is being developed to take
advantage of the high tensile strength and electrical conductivity of
carbon nanotube materials. Critical to the realization of CNT-MMC
possessing optimal properties in these areas are the development of
synthetic techniques that are (a) economically producible, (b) provide for
a homogeneous dispersion of nanotubes in the metallic matrix, and (c)
lead to strong interfacial adhesion between the metallic matrix and the
carbon nanotubes [6]. In addition to carbon nanotube metal matrix
composites, boron nitride reinforced metal matrix composites and carbon
nitride metal matrix composites are the new research areas on metal
matrix nanocomposites.
A recent study, comparing the mechanical properties (Young's modulus,
compressive yield strength, flexural modulus and flexural yield strength)
of single- and multi-walled reinforced polymeric (polypropylene fumarate
PPF) nanocomposites to tungsten disulfide nanotubes reinforced PPF
nanocomposites suggest that tungsten disulfide nanotubes reinforced PPF
nanocomposites possess significantly higher mechanical properties and
tungsten disulfide nanotubes are better reinforcing agents than carbon
nanotubes. Increases in the mechanical properties can be attributed to a
uniform dispersion of inorganic nanotubes in the polymer matrix
(compared to carbon nanotubes that exist as micron sized agggregates)
and increased crosslinking density of the polymer in the presence of
tungsten disulfide nanotubes (increase in crosslinking density leads to an
increase in the mechanical properties). These results suggest that
inorganic nanomaterials, in general, may be better reinforcing agents
compared to carbon nanotubes.
Another kind of nanocomposite is the energetic nanocomposite, generally
as a hybrid solgel with a silica base, which, when combined with metal
oxides and nano-scale aluminum powder, can
form superthermite materials.

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4.3 Polymer-matrix nanocomposites

In the simplest case, appropriately adding nanoparticulates to a polymer
matrix can enhance its performance, often dramatically, by simply
capitalizing on the nature and properties of the nanoscale filler (these
materials are better described by the term nanofilled polymer
composites [7]). This strategy is particularly effective in yielding high
performance composites, when good dispersion of the filler is achieved
and the properties of the nanoscale filler are substantially different or
better than those of the matrix. An example of this would be reinforcing a
polymer matrix by much stiffer nanoparticles of ceramics, clays, or
carbon nanotubes. It should be noted that the improvement in mechanical
properties may not be limited to stiffness or strength. Time-dependent
properties could be improved by addition of the nanofillers. Alternatively,
the enhanced crystallization behavior under flow conditions and other
physical properties of high performance nanocomposites may be mainly
due to the high aspect ratio and/or the high surface area of the fillers,
since nanoparticulates have extremely high surface area to volume
ratios when good dispersion is achieved. Nanoparticle dispersibility in the
polymer matrix is a key issue, which limits the appliciable particle volume
fraction and there for also the multi-functionality of the composite
material. Recent research on thin films (thickness <50 micrometer) made
of polymer nanocomposites has resulted in a new and scalable synthesis
technique, which allows the facile incorporation of greater nano-material
quantities . Such advances will enable the future development of multifunctional small scale devices (i.e. sensor, actuator, medical equipment),
which rely on polymer nanocomposites.
Nanoscale dispersion of filler or controlled nanostructures in the
composite can introduce new physical properties and novel behaviors that
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are absent in the unfilled matrices. This effectively changes the nature of
the original matrix (such composite materials can be better described by
the term genuine nanocomposites or hybrids ). Some examples of
such new properties are fire resistance or flame retardancy, and
accelerated biodegradability.
In a recent study, polymeric nanocomposites were fabricated using
various one-dimensional carbon nanostructures such as single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes, as well as two-dimensional carbon and
inorganic nanomaterials such as graphene platelets, graphene
nanoribbon, single- and multi- walled graphene oxide nanoribbons,
graphene oxide nanoplatelets and molybdenum disulfide nanoplatelets as
reinforcing agents, to improve the mechanical properties of
poly(propylene fumarate) nanocomposites, for bone tissue engineering
applications. Significant mechanical reinforcement (i.e. increases in the
Young's modulus, compressive yield strength, flexural modulus and
flexural yield strength) were observed at low loading concentrations (0.010.2 wt%) of nanomaterials. The results suggest that mechanical
reinforcement is dependent on the nanostructure morphology, defects,
dispersion of nanomaterials in the polymer matrix, and the cross-linking
density of the polymer. In general, two-dimensional nanostructures can
reinforce the polymer better than one-dimensional nanostructures, and
inorganic nanomaterials are better reinforcing agents than carbon based
nanomaterials. In addition to mechanical properties, multi-walled carbon
nanotubes based polymer nanocomposites have also been used for the
enhancement of the electrical conductivity.

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CHAPTER V
SYNTHESIS OF MAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITES
In the field of magnetic nanocomposites, there has been a lot of progress in the preparation of
functional magnetic nanocomposites and hybrid materials. Some of the latest magnetic
nanocomposite materials will be briefly explained. The preparation methods, few properties
and applications will be explained in short since there are a lot of new and hybrid materials.
The main focus will be on the different types of the functional nanocomposites and hybrid
materials. There are a number of categories according to which functional nanocomposites
are classified. Some of them that will be dealt with are given below

Core Shell type Multicomponent Magnetic Nanoparticles

Mesoscale magnetic nanocomposites

5.1 Multicomponent magnetic NPs: coreshell type NPs

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The combination of two nanoscaled entities into a single hybrid particle has recently attracted
much attention due to the numerous possibilities of application. Hybrid NPs may provide a
platform with dual imaging capabilities for medical diagnosis (e.g., simultaneous magnetic
and optical imaging), dual action combining magnetic imaging and therapy, and multiplexing
in sensors. By this approach, the respective properties of the components may be combined
and optimized independently. In addition, cooperatively enhanced performances due to
collective interactions between the constituents have been achieved. Otherwise, however, the
direct combination of the different entities may lead to undesired effects such as
luminescence quenching by direct contact of magnetic NPs and quantum dots (QDs). To date,
several morphologies of multicomponent, magnetic hybrid NPs have been reported, including
coreshell and heterodimeric NPs.
The general strategy for multicomponent nanostructures is to first prepare NPs of one
material, and then use them as nucleation seeds to deposit the other material. This strategy
has been well established for the synthesis of semiconductor QDs with epitaxial shells, while
the controlled synthesis of uniform NPs that combine materials with different
crystallographic structures, lattice dimensions, chemical stabilities and reactivities still faces
many challenges. To date, a number of heterostructures has been synthesized by applying a
seedmediated approach. Coating has been routinely applied for magnetic core stabilization
and surface functionalization in view of biomedical and technical applications.
One of the simplest methods for preparing coreshell type NPs has been the partial oxidation
of magnetic metal NPs to form a shell of the native oxide on the particle surface.
Polycrystalline Fe3O4 shells, e.g., which were generated by chemical oxidation on Fe
particles, were shown to successfully protect and stabilize Fe NPs against full oxidation.For
Co-CoO NPs, additionally to their stabilization, an exchange bias effect was observed as a
result of a strong interaction between the nanometre scale antiferromagnetic CoO layer and
the ferromagnetic Co core. Bimagnetic coreshell systems such as FePt-Fe3O4 or FePtCoFe2O4, where both core and shell are strongly magnetic (ferro- or ferrimagnetic), show
effective exchange coupling phenomena and facilitate the fabrication of magnetic materials
with tunable properties. The magnetic properties, e.g., magnetization and coercivity, can be
readily controlled by tuning the chemical composition and the geometrical parameters of the
core and the shell (Fig. 3).

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Fig. 3: FePt-Fe3O4 NP assembly: (a) TEM image, (b) magnetization curve measured at 10 K (Fe3O4 shell
thickness 1 nm), and (c) normalized coercivity hc as a function of the Fe3O4 volume fraction.

5.2 Mesoporous Magnetic Nanocomposites

A mesoporous material is a material containing pores with diameters between 2 and 50 nm.
In recent years, the synthesis of functional mesoporous magnetic microspheres with a defined
size and narrow size distribution has attracted increased attention as promising materials for
various applications. The following figure displays a typical four step procedure for the
synthesis of mesoporous superparamagnetic microspheres consisting of:
(1) Synthesis of superparamagnetic NPs .
(2) Development of a dense, nonporous SiO2 layer.
(3) Templated growth of the porous SiO2 shell.
(4) Template removal by calcination or solvent extraction.
The supermagnetic nanoparticles used was Fe3O4.Etching of the magnetic cores in harsh
media is typically prevented by introduction of an intermediate, nonporous SiO2 layer in step
(2). Particles (500 nm) with magnetic core and an ordered, mesoporous SiO2 shell with
perpendicular oriented accessible pores were obtained by such a four-step procedure using
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as mesopore template [8]. The template was
finally removed by extraction with acetone.

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Fig. 4: Schematic illustration of a typical four-step procedure for the synthesis of superparamagnetic
mesoporous SiO2 spheres.

After obtaining Fe3O4-SiO2 particles, by adding other compounds, it can be used in various
Biomedical applications Some of them are given below

The Fe3O4- SiO2 particles could be further loaded with fluorescing dyes (fluorescein
isothiocyanate (FITC) and rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC)) and doxorubicin
(DOX) and were tested for MR and fluorescence imaging as shown in figure 5(a).

Fig. 5(a): Uniform Fe3O4-SiO2 particles with a single Fe3O4 core [9]

2-bromo-2-methylpropionic acid-modified Fe3O4 NPs were reacted with aminefunctionalized, dye-doped mesoporous SiO2 spheres. The pores of the nanocomposite

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could be further loaded with the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin and thus served as a
multimodal platform for optical imaging, MR contrast enhancement, and drug
delivery.

Fig. 5(b): Mesoporous SiO2 particles decorated with multiple Fe3O4 NPs [9]

CHAPTER VI
APPLICATIONS OF MAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITES
6.1 MNC for high temperature applications
6.1.1 Transformers
Miniaturization and efficiency requirements demand the reduction of size and mass of core
materials in transformer. Increasing the Ms and will allow less magnetic material to be used
for a given transformer application. Decreasing Hc will reduce loss in AC applications,
improving efficiency. Operating temperatures may increase as power electronic systems
become more densely populated with components. This creates a need for magnetic materials
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with increased operating temperatures. This can be achieved with nanocrystalline materials
with high crystalline and amorphous Tc to prevent particle decoupling.
6.1.2 DC-DC power converters
DC-DC power converters offer the advantage of reduced size and weight over conventional
line frequency transformer based power supplies. These converters are high frequency
devices that use magnetic transformers and inductors, along with active circuit elements, to
convert voltage levels. Ferrite materials are presently used to meet the frequency
requirements. The low Ms and Tc of ferrite materials limits the miniaturization potential of
converters. A magnetic material that had the Ms of iron and an operating frequency of 1 MHz
could result in a factor of 50 reduction in weight and volume. Nanocomposite magnetic
materials already have this Ms and have operating frequencies of 100 kHz. New, more
resistive nanocomposite structures have been conceived that will increase the operating
frequency above 1 MHz.
6.2 MNC for Biomedical Applications
6.2.1 Bio-imaging Probes
Fluorescence microscopy and nuclear MRI are two main imaging
techniques which have had a tremendous impact upon biomedical science
in recent years. Unlike previous approaches which may have required the
processing of fixed tissue samples, these techniques allow for the imaging
of live and intact organisms both in vivo and in vitro, resulting in a more
realistic picture of the processes occurring in live biological species.
Frequently, these imaging techniques are complimentary to each other
and could be used for parallel detection to have a clearer picture and
provide a correct diagnosis. In this case, fluorescent-magnetic
nanocomposites serve as new dual function contrast agents, which can be
used simultaneously in confocal fluorescent microscopy and in MRI. In
addition, fluorescent-magnetic nanocomposites allow us to perform optical
tracking of biological entities and processes in combination with
magnetophoretic manipulation.
There are several reports on the utilisation of multi-functional fluorescentmagnetic nanocomposites as contrast agents. These multi-functional
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materials are of particular importance as probes and biological labels for

cellular imaging. Intracellular uptake and imaging using magnetic
fluorescent nanoparticles prepared by Mnager and co-workershave
shown that, after cellular uptake, these nanoparticles were confined inside
endosomes which are submicrometric vesicles of the endocytotic pathway.
The authors have shown the possibility of magnetic manipulation of these
internalised nanocomposites, resulting in the formation of spectacular
fluorescent chains aligned in the direction of the applied magnetic field.
6.2.2 Cell Tracking, Sorting and Bioseparation
The bioimaging techniques described above play an important role in
cytometry and cell tracking. In 1999, Terstappen and co-workers reported
a new approach for optical tracking and detection of immunomagnetically
selected and aligned cells. In this work, blood cells were labelled with
magnetic nanoparticles and fluorescent probes and aligned along
ferromagnetic lines deposited by lithographic techniques on an optically
transparent surface of a chamber under a magnetic field. An
epiillumination system, using a 635-nm laser diode, scanned the lines and
measured signals obtained from the aligned cells giving the cell counts
per unit of blood volume. This cell analysis method was found to be
significantly less complex and more sensitive than conventional cell
analysis. In addition, this method allows for repeated and varied analyses
to be carried out on the cells while they remain in a natural environment.
Visual sorting and manipulation of apoptotic cells using fluorescentmagnetic multi-functional nanospheres was also reported by Pang and coworkers. These fluorescent-magnetic nanospheres were formed by coembedding QDs and magnetite nanoparticles into hydrazidefunctionalised copolymer nanospheres, which were then covalently
coupled on the surface with IgG, avidin and biotin to generate fluorescentmagnetic bio-targeting trifunctional nanospheres. These nano-biocomposites can selectively link to apoptotic cells, allowing their
visualisation and isolation. Similar types of fluorescent-magnetic
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nanocomposites have also been used by the same group to capture,

visualise and magnetically separate various specific cancer cells [10].
The functionalisation of nanocomposites, consisting of a polymer-coated
maghemite superparamagnetic core and a CdSe/ZnS QD shell, with
anticycline E antibodies, has permitted the separation of MCF-7 breast
cancer cells from serum solutions. The surface immobilised anticycline E
antibodies bound specifically to cyclin, a protein which is expressed on the
surface of breast cancer cells. The separated cells were monitored by
fluorescence imaging microscopy, due to the strong luminescence of
these nanocomposite particles.
6.2.3 Bio- and Chemo-sensing
Magnetic/fluorescent nanocomposites offer unique opportunities for bioand chemo-sensing. The dual properties of these composites allow not
only a detection of certain entities using both magnetic resonance and
fluorescence techniques but also enable them to be utilised as a type of
magnetic tweezers for positioning and manipulation of the sensor in three
dimensions. This is particularly important for chemical and biological
sensing in cellular environments. The pH sensitivity of magnetic
nanospheres based on iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated within
hollow organically modified silica particles nanospheres that have been
filled with a pH sensitive dye [(9-(diethylamino)-5-[(2
octyldecyl)imino]benzo[a]phenoxazine)] has been recently reported.
Swarms of these nanocomposites were magnetically guided through a pH
gradient, while measuring their fluorescence spectral emission. The
magnetic tweezers allowed control over the size and position of the swarm
magnetically, without direct mechanical contact.
6.3 MNC for Environmental Remediation
6.3.1 Magnetic nanocomposites for heavy metal adsorption
Heavy metal ionic pollution in drinking water has been a serious issue for
a long time. Researchers never stop their efforts to search for and develop
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novel adsorbents which have large capacity of metal ions adsorption. Both
material design and adsorption kinetics have been systematically
investigated. Hierarchically structured metal oxides have two or more
levels of structure, which provide a high specific surface area, a high
surface-to-bulk
ratio, and surface functional groups that can interact with, e.g., heavy
metal ions for higher adsorption capacitance of 5.3 mg/g for As(III) and 5.4
mg/g for Cr(VI). The combination of iron minerals and carbon materials
shows an enhanced removal performance than each individual
component. For example, magnetite/ graphene oxide composite was
synthesized via a chemical reaction with a magnetite particle size of 10
15 nm, and was developed for the removal of cobalt(II) ions from aqueous
solutions with a maximum capacity of 22.70 mg/g at 343 K [11]. Other
materials, for example, polymer encapsuled magnetic NPs , iron oxide
coated sand , and Fe(II)Fe(III) hydroxysalt green rusts show great
potential to be used as promising adsorbents. In following section, two
typical adsorbents, carbon coated magnetic NPs and magnetic NPs
decorated graphene nanocomposites have been systematically studied for
Cr(VI) removal from waste water.

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CHAPTER VII
CONCLUSION
The field of Magnetic nanocomposites is indeed very vast and still growing at a very fast
pace. It has great advantages and applications as discussed in the previous chapters. As it is
small in size it has great advantages like higher surface area which can carry drugs to the
biological systems. Also because of the smallness in the size of the particles it can be
transported to various parts of the body and can be detected by advanced technological
systems.
On the other hand, synthesis of high-quality magnetic nanoparticles in a controlled manner,
and detailed understanding of the synthetic mechanisms are still challenges to be faced in the
coming years. Synthesis of oxide or metallic magnetic nanoparticles often require the use of
toxic and/or expensive precursors, and the reaction is often performed in an organic phase at
high temperature at high dilution. These conditions to be maintained is a great challenge in
itself and the safety aspect of humans involved is to be considered.
One of the biggest challenges in biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles lies in
dealing with the issue of technology transfer. There are opportunities in this respect for more
interdisciplinary approaches, for example, to ensure that the laboratory based experiments
can more explicitly emulate the expected conditions that would be encountered in real life
situations. There is also scope for signicant contributions via the mathematical modelling of
complex systems, with the objective of understanding more specically the full gamut of
physical phenomena and effects that together determine whether, in the nal analysis, a given
application will be successful.

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Magnetic nanocomposites offer to open new vistas in the area of drug delivery and they
promise as a prudent tactic to overcome the drug delivery related problems when the
problems of toxicity, localization and cost are addressed. If once the safety and hazardous
aspects of the materials is clearly understood and overcome, this field will certainly offer
much more benefits to mankind than it has already done.

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CHAPTER VIII
REFERENCES
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Appl. Phys., 87, 5588 (2000).
[3] Y. Yoshizawa, S. Oguma, K. Yamauchi, New Febased soft magnetic alloys composed of
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[4] K.Suzuki, A. Makino, N, Kataika, A. Inoue, and T.Masumoto, High saturation and soft
magnetic properties of bcc Fe-Zr-B and Fe-Zr-B-M (M=transition metal) alloys with
nanoscale grain size,Matl. Trans., JIM, vol. 32, pp. 93-102, 1991.
[5] M. A. Willard, M. -Q. Huang, D. E. Laughlin, M. E.McHenry, J. O. Cross, V. G. Harris
and C. Franchetti,Magnetic properties of HITPERM (F 0.5Co 0.5)88Zr7B4Cu1
nanocrystalline magnets, J. Appl. Phys.,vol. 85, pp. 4421-23, 1999.
[6] S. R. Bakshi, D. Lahiri, and A. Argawal, Carbon nanotube reinforced metal matrix
composites - A Review, International Materials Reviews, vol. 55, (2010)
[7] Manias, Evangelos (2007). "Nanocomposites: Stiffer by design". Nature Materials 6 (1):
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[8] Y. Deng, D. Qi, C. Deng, X. Zhang and D. Zhao, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2008, 130, 28.
[9] J. Kim, H. S. Kim, N. Lee, T. Kim, H. Kim, T. Yu, I. C. Song,W. K. Moon and T. Hyeon,
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[11] M. Liu, C. Chen, J. Hu, X. Wu, X. Wang, Synthesis of magnetite/graphene oxide
composite and application for cobalt(II) removal, Phys. Chem. C 115 (2011) 2523425240.

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