Speaker
Description
Lanthanum–barium manganite (La(1-x)Ba(x)MnO3, LBMO) nanocrystals were synthesised with barium substitution levels spanning x = 0.1–0.5 in order to systematically probe the influence of compositional doping and calcination temperature on magnetic behaviour relevant to nano-magnetic hyperthermia applications. Samples were prepared via glycine nitrate solution combustion synthesis process and calcined at 800, 1000, and 1200°C to explore the interplay between thermal processing, crystallite size, and magnetic phase stability.
Structural and magnetic characterisation revealed a strong dependence of magnetic ordering on both dopant concentration and calcination temperature. At lower calcination temperatures, incomplete crystallisation and suppressed magnetic ordering were observed, while higher temperatures promoted grain growth and the onset of bulk-like ferromagnetic behaviour. Notably, samples with a barium concentration of approximately 10% (x ~ 0.1), calcined at 1000°C, formed nanocrystalline phases exhibiting superparamagnetic behaviour with a Curie temperature within the biologically relevant range for controlled thermal activation.
This combination of superparamagnetism and tailored Curie temperature is desirable for magnetic hyperthermia, as it enables efficient heat generation under alternating magnetic fields while limiting overheating of surrounding healthy tissue. The results demonstrate that careful tuning of dopant concentration and calcination temperature provides a viable route to engineering LBMO nanocrystals optimised for targeted thermal deposition in brain tumour environments. These findings establish synthesis–structure–property relationships needed to develop a rational design of oxide-based magnetic nanomaterials for biomedical hyperthermia therapies.
| Field of Condensed Matter | Biophysics and medical applications |
|---|