New Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) methods for the detection of functional changes in diagnostic nanocomposite particles

About the Project

This PhD develops responsive magnetic nanoparticles whose structure and dynamics report on their surrounding biological and mechanical environments. This project brings together a unique combination of nanocomposite design, material-informed magnetic sensing, and access to the UK’s only Magnetic Particle Imaging scanner within a highly interdisciplinary chemistry–physics–biomedical programme.

Magnetic nanoparticles underpin a rapidly growing class of biomedical technologies, from non-invasive medical imaging to advanced biomaterials for tissue engineering. This PhD project will develop next-generation magnetic nanoparticle systems whose structure and dynamics change in response to their biological environment, enabling new ways to image and measure functional properties inside complex, opaque materials.

The project sits at the interface of chemistry, physics, and biomedical engineering, combining nanoparticle synthesis, soft-matter materials, and advanced magnetic imaging and sensing. It will exploit the University of Liverpool’s globally unique Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) infrastructure, including the only MPI scanner in the UK.

The central scientific idea is that the magnetic response of nanoparticles depends sensitively on their rotation, aggregation state, and local mechanical environment. By designing nanoparticles and nanocomposites that undergo controlled structural changes, such as clustering, polymer rearrangement, or matrix-driven restriction of motion, you will create systems whose magnetic signals directly report on biological triggers (e.g. pH, enzymes, binding events) or local material rheology.

Research objectives

You will work on an integrated programme that includes:

• Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with controlled size across relevant regimes (single cores to clusters, ~5–1000 nm), composition, and shape using co-precipitation and thermal decomposition methods.
• Smart tracers through surface functionalisation, including responsive polymer shells using amphiphilic copolymers and gel matrices designed to alter nanoparticle interaction, aggregation and rotational dynamics in response to biological stimuli.
• Formation of bio-functional nanocomposites, where changes in particle spacing, aggregation, or rotational freedom encode information about chemical or mechanical changes arising from variation in biological environment
• Magnetic characterisation and imaging, using AC susceptometry and Magnetic Particle Imaging to extract information on nanoparticle motion, relaxation behaviour, spatial distribution, and functional response.

Applications span responsive imaging probes, soft biomaterials, and synthetic extracellular matrices, with relevance to tissue engineering, nanomedicine, and long-acting therapeutics.

Training and research environment

This PhD offers exceptionally broad and high-value training. The student will gain hands-on experience in:

• Nanoparticle and polymer synthesis
• Soft-matter and biomaterials fabrication
• Magnetic characterisation and imaging

The project will be based in the department of Chemistry, working with collaborators in Physics and with extensive access to the Centre for Preclinical Imaging, where the MPI system is housed. The student will work closely with researchers developing new magnetic detection technologies, as well as experts in biomaterials and soft-matter physics.

This interdisciplinary training will equip the student with a rare skill set at the interface of materials chemistry, imaging and biomedical technology, providing excellent preparation for careers in academia, industry, medical imaging, or advanced materials R&D.