This paper presents a simple method for the rapid synthesis of magnetite/hydroxyapatite composite particles. In this method, superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles are first synthesized by coprecipitation using ferrous chloride and ferric chloride. Immediately following the synthesis, carbonate-substituted (B-type) hydroxyapatite particles are mechanochemically synthesized by wet milling dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and calcium carbonate in a dispersed suspension of magnetite nanoparticles, during which the magnetite nanoparticles are incorporated into the hydroxyapatite matrix. We observed that the resultant magnetite/hydroxyapatite composites possessed a homogeneous dispersion of magnetite nanoparticles, characterized by an absence of large aggregates. When this material was subjected to an alternating magnetic field, the heat generated increased with increasing magnetite concentration. For a magnetite concentration of 30 mass%, a temperature increase greater than 20 K was achieved in less than 50 s. These results suggest that our composites exhibit good hyperthermia properties and are promising candidates for hyperthermia treatments.

This study provides a facile single-step coprecipitation method for preparing size-controlled high crystalline magnetite nanoparticles in water system without using any organic solvents. In this method, an iron ions solution and an alkaline solution are simply mixed at room temperature without using any additional heating treatment. The size of obtained magnetite nanoparticles greatly depended on the coexisting anionic species in the starting solution because the coexisting anions greatly influenced both the formation of crystal nuclei and the dispersion stabilisation of formed precipitates. The size control of magnetite nanoparticles having high crystallinity and ferromagnetic property could be successfully achieved by using the effects of coexisting anions. For synthesising finer magnetite nanoparticles, the presence of lactate ion in the starting solution was effective, and coarser ones could be synthesised under higher ferrous/ferric ions molar ratios.

Gadolinium-substituted magnesium–zinc ferrite (Mg _x Zn_1−x Gd _y Fe_2−y O₄) nanoparticles with different metal compositions for x between 0 and 1 and y between 0 and 0.06 were synthesized via coprecipitation of metal hydroxides, followed by calcination. Their crystal structure was characterized via X-ray diffraction analysis, confirming that the Gd-substituted Mg–Zn ferrite samples had a single-phase spinel structure. The metal composition significantly affected the crystal structure, including the lattice parameters and crystallite size. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the ferrite samples had a diameter of approximately 50–200 nm. Furthermore, the temperature rise in an alternating magnetic field was measured, and the magnetic induction heating properties were evaluated using the specific absorption rate (SAR) determined from the temperature profile. The SAR significantly varied depending on the compositions of x and y. When x = 0.5 and y = 0.02, the SAR was found to be at maximum. This reveals that the compositions can control the magnetic induction heating properties. The results suggest that Gd-substituted Mg–Zn ferrite nanoparticles are promising candidates for magnetic hyperthermia applications.