Double-ligand modulation for engineering magnetic nanoclusters

Abstract

Magnetic nanoclusters (MNCs) are agglomerated individual magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that show great promise in increasing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sensitivity. Here, we report an effective strategy to engineer MNCs based on double-ligand modulation to enhance MRI sensitivity. The oleic acid-coated individual MNPs self-assembled and then were enveloped by polysorbate 80, using a nanoemulsion method to prepare MNCs. By modulating the amounts of the two ligands, and thus the size and magnetic content of the resultant MNCs, we were able to enormously improve MRI sensitivity.