Theory of proton relaxation induced by superparamagnetic particles

Evaluating and understanding the performances of magnetic colloids as contrast agents for MRI requires a theory describing their magnetic interactions with water protons. The field dependence of the proton longitudinal relaxation rate (nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion profiles) in aqueous colloidal suspensions of superparamagnetic particles is based on the so-called Curie relaxation, which essentially accounts for the high field part of the NMRD profiles (B-0>0.02 T). The low-field part of the NMRD profiles can only be explained by the crystal's internal anisotropy energy, a concept which clarifies the important difference between superpara- and paramagnetic compounds: the anisotropy energy modifies both the electronic precession frequencies and the thermodynamic probability of occupation of the crystal magnetic states. Our theory clearly explains why a low-field dispersion exists for suspensions of small size crystals, and why it does not for large crystals' suspensions. This important effect is due to the Boltzmann factors depending on the anisotropy energy, which is itself proportional to the particle volume. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)50811-8].