11 - Coprecipitation synthesis, stabilization, and characterization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetically oriented hybrid system vectorization

Abstract

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are increasingly gaining the interest of the scientific community because of their physicochemical properties and biological performances. The applications that make use of these nanoparticles are vast and fascinating, ranging from catalysis to biomedicine. However, depending on the desired purpose, the required properties and characteristics of the magnetic nanoparticles differ, being greatly influenced by aspects found at the early stages of the preparation, some stemming from the chosen synthesis method. Coprecipitation is one of the exploited IONP production processes and presents itself as an advantageous chemical method of synthesis, as the technique meets the requirements for low-temperature synthesis, is classified as a nontime-consuming process, and requires the use of few reagents. This work addresses the development, stabilization, and characterization of IONP, assisted by a full factorial planning optimization within a comprehensive case study. Aiming at further encapsulating this inorganic system in lipid-based nanocarrier-based formulations, ideal for the magnetic vectorization of a drug-loaded hybrid nanoconstruct, several design strategies are pointed out. The added value provided by the use of molecular dynamics simulations, Monte Carlo, and density functional theory calculations in the simulation and modeling of the nanosystems’ design and interaction is ultimately discussed.