Controlled growth of magnetic nanoparticles: the properties and applications

Superfluid helium droplets have now emerged as a highly versatile and uniquely powerful tool for the fabrication of nanomaterials, including nanoparticles and nanowires, due to their excellent properties. These include the superfluidity, the very low temperature, the extremely high thermal conductivity and quantized vortices. Compared with conventional synthetic methods, superfluid helium droplets offer exceptional degree of control, allowing the formation of core-shell and core-multiple shell nanostructures. This project will focus on the fabrication of high-moment magnetic nanoparticles and nanowires, and will explore their applications in medical diagnostics and treatment.

This project will address a major challenge in nanoscience, i.e., the fabrication of magnetic nanomaterials with magnetic moments higher than the bulk limits. This is based on our recent discoveries of high-moment magnetic nanoparticles, and will explore new range of magnetic nanomaterials that are important for medical applications.