Superparamagnetic FePt nanoparticles as excellent MRI contrast agents

Chemically disordered face-centered cubic (fcc) FePt nanoparticles (NPs) with a mean diameter of 9 nm were synthesized via pyrolysis of iron(III) ethoxide and platinum(II) acetylacetonate. The surface ligands of these NPs were then exchanged from oleic acid to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) to measure the longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) proton relaxation times of aqueous dispersion of FePt NPs. Magnetic resonance relaxometry reveals that TMAOH-capped FePt NPs have a higher T2-shortening effect than conventional superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs, indicating that fcc-phase FePt NPs might be superior negative contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.