The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a project to engineer and characterize magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for various applications. The project focuses on two main components: the controlled synthesis of selectively engineered MNPs and the development of spectroscopic metrologies to characterize their structure, composition, and magnetic behavior.
NIST is working on improving the magnetic thermosensitivity of MNPs, particularly for room-temperature applications. This involves engineering doped, core-shell, or multi-domain nanoparticles with strong AC magnetic responses and controlled thermosensitive temperature ranges. The project aims to develop reliable, scalable solution chemistry routes for synthesizing MNPs of controlled size, structure, and composition.
The optical characterization of MNPs is another critical aspect of the project. NIST is developing rigorous measurement methods and methodologies for robust optical characterization of MNPs in various environments, using spectroscopies ranging from X-rays to infrared. The project also leverages optical microscopes, temperature-control cryostats, and spectrometers to investigate magnetic phenomena at high spatial resolution and dynamic magnetic behavior in solution.
The ultimate goal of this project is to advance in situ and in operando measurement capabilities for MNPs, facilitating their development and understanding for applications in magnetic sensing, imaging, therapy, and quantum spin-based electronics.
Keywords: Nanomagnets, nanothermometry, thermal MagIC, spectroscopic metrologies, magneto-optical phenomena, magnetic circular dichroism, Faraday rotation, Kerr effect
