Highly monodisperse low-magnetization magnetite nanocubes as simultaneous T1-T2 MRI contrast agents

We report the first study of highly monodisperse and crystalline iron oxide nanocubes with sub-nm controlled size distribution (9.7 +/- 0.5 nm in size) that achieve simultaneous contrast enhancement in both T-1- and T-2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we confirmed the magnetite structure of iron oxide nanocubes by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern, optical absorption and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectra. These magnetite nanocubes exhibit superparamagnetic and paramagnetic behavior simultaneously by virtue of their finely controlled shape and size. The magnetic measurements reveal that the magnetic moment values are favorably much lower because of the small size and cubic shape of the nanoparticles, which results in an enhanced spin canting effect. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we showed their potential as dual contrast agents for both T-1- and T-2-weighted MRI via phantom studies, in vivo imaging and relaxivity measurements. Therefore, these low-magnetization magnetite nanocubes, while being non-toxic and bio-compatible, hold great promise as excellent dual-mode T-1 and T-2 contrast agents for MRI.