Multi-Scale Simulation of Nanoparticle Transport and Deposition in Tissue During a Nanofluid Injection Process

In magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia for cancer treatment, controlling nanoparticle is vital for managing heat deposition and temperature elevations in clinical applications. In this study, we first perform a numerical simulation of magnetic nanofluid transport in agarose gel during an injection process and explore the relationship between the spreading shapes of the nanofluid in gel and injection parameters. We also simulate the nanoparticle concentration distribution in tissues after being injected into the extracellular space under various injection parameters. The model consists of two components. One is a particle trajectory tracking model (PTTM) which can predict the deposition rate of nanoparticle on the porous matrix in a single pore structure by using a Lagrangian Brownian Dynamics simulation method. The other one is a macroscale transport model of nanofluid in saturated porous structures. This study provides advanced understanding of nanofluid transport behavior in a porous structure. Our results show that the gap formed surrounding the needle may cause a back flow and can significantly affect the shape of nanofluid spreading. For small-sized nanoparticle (10nm) with zero surface zeta potential, the filtration effect dominates the particle distribution. The effect of other conditions like nanoparticle size, particle surface coating, and physic-chemical properties of carrier fluid on nanoparticle concentration distribution is under study.