Organometallic Synthesis of Magnetic Metal Nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) are attractive both for their fundamental properties and for their potential in a variety of applications ranging from nanomedicine and biology to micro/nanoelectronics and catalysis. While these fields are dominated by the use of iron oxides, reduced metal NPs are of interest since they display high magnetization and adjustable anisotropy according to their size, shape and composition. The use of organometallic precursors makes it possible to adjust the size, shape (sphere, cube, rod, wire, urchin, …) and composition (alloys, core–shell, composition gradient, dumbbell, …) of the resulting NPs and hence their magnetic properties. We discuss here the synthesis of magnetic metal NPs from organometallic precursors carried out in Toulouse, as well as their associated properties and their potential in applications. Magnetic metal nanoparticles (MMNPs) have great potential in a multitude of applications such as catalysis, biomedicine and environmental remediation. This Minireview highlights advances over the last two decades in the organometallic synthesis of MMNPs. The resulting MMNPs have tailor‐made sizes, shapes, compositions and magnetic properties, leading to their application in magnetically induced catalysis and biosensing.