Spinel ferrite-based magnetic nanomaterials have been investigated for numerous biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery, magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and biosensors, among others. Recent studies have found that zinc ferrite-based nanomaterials are favorable candidates for cancer theranostics, particularly for magnetic hyperthermia applications. Zinc ferrite exhibits excellent biocompatibility, minimal toxicity, and more importantly, exciting magnetic properties. In addition, these materials demonstrate a Curie temperature much lower than other transition metal ferrites. By regulating synthesis protocols and/or introducing suitable dopants, the Curie temperature of zinc ferrite-based nanosystems can be tailored to the MHT therapeutic window, i.e., 43–46 1C, a range which is highly beneficial for clinical hyperthermia applications. Furthermore, zinc ferritebased nanostructures have been extensively used in successful pre-clinical trials on mice models focusing on the synergistic killing of cancer cells involving magnetic hyperthermia and chemotherapy. This review provides a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the recent developments of zinc ferrite-based nanomaterials, including doped particles, shape-modified structures, and composites for magnetic hyperthermia applications. In addition, future research prospects involving pure ZnFe2O4 and its derivative nanostructures have also been proposed. 
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                            Size-dependent magnetic and magnetothermal properties of gadolinium silicide nanoparticles
                        
                    
    
            Gadolinium silicide (Gd 5 Si 4 ) nanoparticles are an interesting class of materials due to their high magnetization, low Curie temperature, low toxicity in biological environments and their multifunctional properties. We report the magnetic and magnetothermal properties of gadolinium silicide (Gd 5 Si 4 ) nanoparticles prepared by surfactant-assisted ball milling of arc melted bulk ingots of the compound. Using different milling times and speeds, a wide range of crystallite sizes (13–43 nm) could be produced and a reduction in Curie temperature ( T C ) from 340 K to 317 K was achieved, making these nanoparticles suitable for self-controlled magnetic hyperthermia applications. The magnetothermal effect was measured in applied AC magnetic fields of amplitude 164–239 Oe and frequencies 163–519 kHz. All particles showed magnetic heating with a strong dependence of the specific absorption rate (SAR) on the average crystallite size. The highest SAR of 3.7 W g −1 was measured for 43 nm sized nanoparticles of Gd 5 Si 4 . The high SAR and low T C , (within the therapeutic range for magnetothermal therapy) makes the Gd 5 Si 4 behave like self-regulating heat switches that would be suitable for self-controlled magnetic hyperthermia applications after biocompatibility and cytotoxicity tests. 
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                            - Award ID(s):
- 1905499
- PAR ID:
- 10295375
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- RSC Advances
- Volume:
- 10
- Issue:
- 47
- ISSN:
- 2046-2069
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 28383 to 28389
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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