Professor Dr. Khalid Farooq Abdul Ghafour, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, College of Science, obtained a patent for an invention titled :

(A simplified method for preparing palmitic acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles)

In cooperation with researchers from the Universities of Kufa and Al-Mustansiriya, the patent aims to prepare magnetic nanoparticles, MNPs, which are chemically Fe3O4 particles and coated with palmitic acid under optimal conditions to produce new particles called (MNP@Palmitic). New particles with various advanced technologies, and these magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs, Magneticnanoparticles, MNPs) are a type of very small size particles that show a reaction that can be treated using a magnetic field and these particles usually consist of a magnetic core such as Fe3O4 or after modifying its surface. An interesting property that can be used in a variety of biomedical applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia, drug delivery and gene delivery.

   These applications require iron oxide nanoparticles as is or after adjustment of magnetization values ??and particle size reduction. For biological applications, surface coating will modify the aggregation characteristics, surface charges, and ability to bind to biomolecules. The nanoparticles can also be attached to biological molecules to ensure that they are transported to specific locations within the body. It can be manufactured by adding a base to a common salt + Fe2+/Fe3 under an inert atmosphere.

The size, shape, and composition of the magnetic sources depend on the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, the reaction temperature, the pH value and the ionic strength of the solution.

The properties of nanoparticles can be improved by coating them with substances present in the body to reduce their polarity and make them crossable in the fat cell wall. Also, coating it will change the biological characteristics of the particles and according to the type of material used in the coating. In this research, we used the magnetic core of the particles, which is magnetic nanoparticles, and they were coated with a layer of palmic acid, which is one of the most common acids in the human body.

It is worth noting that Prof. Dr. Khalid Farooq Abdul Ghafoor has many patents and solid scientific research published in international journals with an impact factor, the last of which was a patent a short time ago tagged ((Designing a new system for preparing nanocomposites using the green method)) in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mishaal Muhammad, the lecturer at the College of Science, and the assistant professor, Dr. Youssef Hindi, the lecturer assistant at the College of Pharmacy.