Synthesis and characterization of iron-rich Fe _xPt _1-x ferrofluid for magnetic resonance imaging

Iron-rich Fe _xPt _1-x ultrafine nanodots were prepared by a simple and versatile polyol process using a combinatorial strategy of introducing a strong reducing agent and decreasing the synthesis temperature. The native hydrophobic nanodots were converted into a wettable dispersion by ligand exchange-mediated phase transformation using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide. The microstructural study confirmed the formation of Fe-rich FePt nanodots having an average particle size of ∼3.5 nm with a narrow size distribution. An MTT (methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide [3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide]) study on mammalian leukocyte cultures confirmed the high degree of biocompatibility for the ferrofluid. The ferrofluid, when studied for its concentration-dependent transverse relaxation time and contrast properties, was found to exhibit promising properties as a magnetic resonance imaging T ₂ contrast agent.