Ferromagnetic Cytocompatible Glass‐Ceramic Porous Microspheres for Magnetic Hyperthermia Applications
Jesús Molinar‐Díaz, John Luke Woodliffe, Benjamin Milborne, Lauren Murrell, Md Towhidul Islam, Elisabeth Steer, Nicola Weston, Nicola Morley, Paul D. Brown, Ifty Ahmed
Abstract
Abstract Highly porous, ferromagnetic glass‐ceramic P40‐Fe 3 O 4 microspheres (125–212 µm) with enhanced cytocompatibility have been manufactured for the first time via a facile, rapid, single‐stage flame spheroidization process. Dispersions of Fe 3 O 4 and Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 domains (≈10 µm) embedded within P40 (40P 2 O 5 ‐16CaO‐24MgO‐20Na 2 O in mol%) phosphate‐based glass matrices show evidence for remanent magnetization (0.2 Am 2 kg −1 ) and provide for controlled induction heating to a constant level of 41.9 °C, making these materials highly appropriate for localized magnetic hyperthermia applications. Complementary, cytocompatibility investigations confirm the suitability of P40‐Fe 3 O 4 porous microspheres for biomedical applications. It is suggested that the flame‐spheroidization process opens up new opportunities for the development of innovative synergistic biomaterials, toward bone‐tissue regenerative applications.