Magnetic nanoparticle standards
The world has accepted standards of length, weight, time and so much more that make it possible to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Scientists are pioneering efforts to ensure that an MNP is defined, characterised and monitored the same way all over the world. EU support of the NANOMAG(opens in new window) (Nanometrology standardization methods for magnetic nanoparticles) project is helping researchers define how structural properties relate to magnetic ones. New standard measurements and techniques for descriptions of MNPs will foster quality control throughout total MNP lifetime and expedited development for specific applications. The large consortium of more than 15 world leaders in manufacturing, analysis and characterisation as well as national metrology institutes is marking excellent progress. The team has derived an analysis matrix of 18 different methods describing parameters that can be derived using each technique. It also explains how each method is interrelated to other methods that determine the same parameters. The work has resulted in two publications in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Researchers are now putting those methods to use with real MNPs in order to standardise them. MNPs with controlled sizes and magnetic and chemical properties have been manufactured and are currently undergoing analysis. A database of MNP properties and analysis results is continuously populated with new results by partners. The team has also produced the first standard operating procedure for one of the analytical methods (direct current magnetisation). Scientists are actively disseminating and collecting information to further objectives. The website is up and running, providing a portal for the public as well as a secure area for partners. Surveys on MNPs and their applications were sent out to more than 250 companies internationally and results are being analysed. The consortium has also recruited a Stakeholder Committee, now 16 members strong, which will provide industrial guidance and foster the adoption of outcomes. Standardised measurement and analysis methods for characterising MNPs will enable industries, including biomedicine and pharmaceuticals, to ensure that tailored properties are robust and consistent. Such standards, currently lacking, will significantly increase the competitive position of EU manufacturers in a global market.
