Anisotropic hybrid nanostructures for advanced hyperthermia

Magnetic nanoparticles have attracted growing interest in the research community due to their wide range of applications in nanomedicine. In particular, the effective shape, surface and interface anisotropies play important roles in tuning the overall magnetic response of nanoparticle assemblies. Our recent research has shown the importance of tuning the effective anisotropy in nanoparticles through surface, shape and core-shell configurations that can be used to enhance the heating efficiency or specific absorption rate (SAR) in magnetic hyperthermia therapy of cancer. We have developed various methods to controllably change the shape anisotropy as well as interface controlled anisotropy in exchange coupled hybrid nanostructures. Multifunctional hybrid Ag-Fe₃O₄ nanoclusters have also been studied where a synergistic exploitation of magnetothermal and photothermal properties through AC magnetic fields and laser radiation is possible .The heating efficiency is measured through both calorimetry and AC magnetometry. In addition, we have developed a powerful method to probe the anisotropy using resonant RF susceptibility and correlate with SAR. Our systematic research findings underscore the fact that effective magnetic anisotropy plays a significant role in enhancing the SAR for advanced hyperthermia applications.