Magnetic and biomagnetic films obtained by ferrite plating in aqueous solution

Abstract Ferrite plating enables crystalline spinel ferrite films to be formed in an aqueous solution at low temperatures (less than 100°C). This technique allows the fabrication of new ferrite film devices on non-heat-resistant substrate materials such as plastics, GaAs integrated circuits ets. Ferrite-plated films prepared from aqueous solution exhibit strong compatibility with water and organic compounds which enable the films to be used in biomedical applications as biosensors and immunoassays. The low temperature synthesis of magnetite in ferrite plating bears a close analogy to the biological synthesis of magnetite in organisms such as magnetotactic bacteria and chitons.