Mesoscale assemblies of iron oxide nanocubes as heat mediators and image contrast agents

Iron oxide nanocubes (IONCs) represent one of the most promising iron-based nanoparticles for both magnetic resonance image (MRI) and magnetically mediated hyperthermia (MMH). Here, we have set a protocol to control the aggregation of magnetically interacting IONCs within a polymeric matrix in a so-called magnetic nanobead (MNB) having mesoscale size (200 nm). By the comparison with individual coated nanocubes, we elucidate the effect of the aggregation on the specific adsorption rates (SAR) and on the T1 and T2 relaxation times. We found that while SAR values decrease as IONCs are aggregated into MNBs but still keeping significant SAR values (200 W/g at 300 kHz), relaxation times show very interesting properties with outstanding values of r2/r1 ratio for the MNBs with respect to single IONCs.