Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Produced by a Low-Energy Nd: YAG Laser Ablation Technique and Their Application as Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract:

A magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent is proposed using iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) synthesized by a pulsed laser ablation technique. Experimentally, an Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm, 7 ns, 30 mJ) was directed and focused on a high-purity iron plate immersed in a liquid solution of deionized water and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). After a few minutes of laser bombardment, iron oxide nanoparticles dispersed in the liquid were homogeneously produced. A reddish yellow color-colloidal IONPs are produced in the water, while its color changes to dark brown for the PVP solution. The characterization results demonstrated that IONPs in the form of Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ made in the PVP have an excellent dispersibility with a spherical shape that is significantly smaller than that of IONPs made in the deionized water at the same laser repetition rate. The produced IONPs are further applied as a contrast agent for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality by varying concentrations from 0.05 mM to 2.31 mM. The results demonstrated that images of the IONPs sample with a concentration of 2.31 mM showed the highest contrast enhancement (Cenh), with an enhancement factor of 221.875 % for T₁-weighted images and 91.227 % for T₂-weighted images. IONPs with a concentration of 2.31 mM had the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a T₁-weighted picture of 52.92, while IONPs with a concentration of 0.05 mM had the highest SNR for a T₂-weighted image of 179.117.

• Periodical: Journal of Nano Research (Volume 80)
• Pages: 65-80
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-A3iypQ
• Online since: September 2023
• Authors: Ali Khumaeni*, Gali Kurniawan, Eko Hidayanto
• Keywords: Contrast Agent, Iron Oxide Nanoparticles, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nd:YAG Laser, Pulse Laser Ablation

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