Titanium/Silica Biocompatible Nanoparticles with Tunable Exothermic Characteristics for Future Hyperthermia Technology

In this paper, biocompatible exothermic nanoparticles and their characteristics are reported. The particles are made of silica and Ti, which are uniformly arranged in one nanoparticle on a nanometer scale. The fabrication process includes porous silica nanoparticles, reduction, and Ti deposition. By applying electric spark, Ti/silica nanoparticles show exothermic reaction while forming its intermetallic compound. The surface temperature and reaction duration can be controlled by polystyrene-latex (PSL) concentrations, which determines the atomic ratio of silica and Ti later. Crystal structure and heat of energy are compared between Ti/silica nanoparticles and Ti/silica multilayered films to discuss the mechanism of exothermic reaction in Ti/silica nanoparticles for the first time. Considering practical issues in nowadays cancer remedy, the advantages of Ti/silica exothermic nanoparticles are discussed.