Nano particles have gained wide recognition in the last few years. With the inception of nano technology, numerous gates have opened up in the field of electrical, chemical and bio science. One such form of nano particle is the iron oxide. The nano particles of iron oxide have gained immense popularity due to their property of superparamagnetism. In addition, the potential applications of these nano particles also add to the popularity of the same.
As a matter of fact, there are mainly two sorts of iron oxide, and they are- magnetite and maghemite. While the chemical formula of the former is Fe3O4, the name for the latter is Fe2O3. Iron oxide nanoparticles can be found within the size bracket of 1 and 100 nano meters. Even though the nano particles of Cobalt and Nickel are also quite magnetic in nature, but there are two vital aspects that set iron oxide apart from them. First of all, the nano particles of iron oxide are absolutely non-toxic in nature. Secondly, the two metals Co and Ni get oxidized very quickly, which makes them somewhat unstable.
The Uses of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Like it was mentioned above, there are numerous applications of the nano particles of iron oxide, particularly in the field of electrical, chemical and bioscience. Still, some of the major applications of these nano particles are- magnetic storage devices, sensors, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), catalysis, etc.
The MRI developed through the nano particles of iron oxide feature extremely high sensitivity, which makes them more accurate for medical diagnosis. To be more specific, the particles are used as contrast agents for MRI. Without any doubt, iron oxide nanoparticles suppliers widely cater to the medical world with high grade of these particles.
One of the major applications of iron oxide nano particles is that they can help fight cancer to a significant extent. These particles can act as drug carriers. It means that the nano particles of iron oxide can be accompanied with the drug which is used for curing cancer, or the malign tumor. The nano particles possess the ability to target the affected region inside the body. In this way, the treatment of cancer turns out to be more effective.
On the other hand, these particles can be also be used for gene therapy. They can carry the gene information along with them, and hence are known as gene carriers. The other major application of iron oxide nanoparticles is in the field of IVD, or in-vitro diagnosis. They can be used like magnetic sensing probes.