Preparation and Characterization of Dextran-Covered Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Magnetic Particle Imaging

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a recently proposed method for the visualization of the spatial distribution of iron-oxide nanoparticles. The principle is based on the superparamagnetic nature of Fe3O4 particles (SPIOs). Iron-oxide particles covered with dextran and derivates are widely used as contrast agents in MRI imaging. However, besides the spatial bio-distribution the image quality of the magnetic-particle imaging concept is determined by the particle diameter as well. Moreover, it is the particle size distribution that affects the measured magnetization response within MPI. Therefore, the spectral analysis of the synthesized nanoparticles is an essential assay step for particle validation.