Magnetic hyperthermia in brick-like Ag@Fe3O4 core–shell nanoparticles

•The heat emission of multifunctional Ag@Fe3O4 brick-like nanoparticles was studied.•Specific absorption rate is comparable to the most efficient plain nanoparticles.•Brick-like nanoparticles are candidates for optical and hyperthermia applications.

Heating efficiency of multifunctional Ag@Fe3O4 brick-like nanoparticles under alternating magnetic field was investigated by means of specific absorption rate (SAR) measurements, and compared with equivalent measurements for plain magnetite and dimer heteroparticles. The samples were synthesized by thermal decomposition reactions and present narrow size polydispersity and high degree of crystallinity. The SAR values are analyzed using the superparamagnetic theory, in which the basic morphology, size and dispersion of sizes play key roles. The results suggest that these novel brick-like nanoparticles are good candidates for hyperthermia applications, displaying heating efficiencies comparable with the most efficient plain nanoparticles.

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