Raman spectroscopy to unravel the magnetic properties of iron oxide nanocrystals for bio-related applications

Abstract

Iron oxide nanocrystals have become a versatile tool in biomedicine because of their low cytotoxicity while offering a wide range of tuneable magnetic properties that may be implemented in magnetic separation, drug and heat delivery and bioimaging. These capabilities rely on the unique magnetic features obtained when combining different iron oxide phases, so that an important portfolio of magnetic properties can be attained by the rational design of multicomponent nanocrystals. In this context, Raman spectroscopy is an invaluable and fast-performance tool to gain insight into the different phases forming part of the nanocrystals to be used, allowing correlation of the magnetic properties with the envisaged bio-related applications.