Magnetic and thermo-responsive microparticles based on calcium phosphates with high potential to produce structures for bone regeneration and local hyperthermia

Abstract

Magnetic calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles have been explored for a wide range of applications, namely biodevices for bone regeneration and local cancer treating through hyperthermia therapy. Numerous shaping techniques to obtain dense and porous ceramic structures are based on colloidal processing principles, in which parameters such as crystallinity, morphology and particle size play an important role in obtaining high solids concentration suspensions to guarantee ceramic structures with high particle packing. With these considerations in mind, this work aims to obtain magnetic and thermo-responsive CaP microparticles, via wet chemical precipitation with the simultaneous addition of Fe2+ and Fe3+. Magnetic microparticles with the ability to preserve their magnetic and magneto-thermal properties have been successfully achieved, due to the presence of well-distributed iron oxide nanocrystallites surrounded by CaP phases. This accomplishment promises great potential for the development of biodevices based on colloidal processing, as some Additive Manufacturing technologies.