Design and engineering colloidal magnetic particles for nanoscale thermometry

Thermometry based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is an emerging technology that allows for remote temperature measurements throughout a volume that are impossible to achieve using conventional probe-based or optical methods. This metrology is based on the temperature-dependent nature of these particles’ magnetization; however, commercially available MNPs generally display insufficient magneto-thermosensitivity for practical use in applications near room temperature. Here we present engineered MNPs based on cobalt-doped ferrites developed for 200 K – 400 K thermometry applications. The synthesis relies on easily scalable solution chemistry routes, and is tunable to afford MNPs of controlled size and composition. These improved nanothermometers form the basis of our effort to develop a practical means for spatially resolved, 3D, high-sensitivity measurements of temperature based on AC magnetometry.