Fine, TiO

1. A method for producing fine, coated metal particles comprising the steps of mixing Ti-containing powder except for Ti oxide powder with oxide powder of a metal M, an M oxide having a standard free energy of formation meeting the relation of ΔG M-O >ΔG TiO2 ; and heat-treating the resultant mixed powder at a temperature of 650-900° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, thereby reducing the oxide of said metal M with Ti to provide the resultant fine particles of the metal M with TiO 2 -based titanium oxide coating.

2. The method for producing fine, coated metal particles according to claim 1 , wherein said metal M is Fe.

3. The method for producing fine, coated metal particles according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide of said metal M is Fe 2 O 3 , and said Ti-containing powder is composed of TiC, the ratio of TiC to the sum of Fe 2 O 3 and TiC being 30-50% by mass.

4. The method for producing fine, coated metal particles according to claim 1 , wherein said fine, coated metal particles are further immersed in an aqueous solution containing an alkali source and then dried.

5. Fine metal particles coated with TiO 2 -based titanium oxide, wherein the standard free energy of formation of an oxide of said metal meets the relation of ΔG M-O >ΔG TiO2 ; wherein the maximum peak of TiO 2 has a half-width of 0.3° or less in an X-ray diffraction pattern of the fine, coated metal particles; and wherein the intensity ratio of the maximum peak of TiO 2 to the maximum peak of the metal M is 0.03 or more.

6. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , wherein said metal M is a magnetic metal.

7. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 6 , wherein said magnetic metal is Fe.

8. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 7 , having saturation magnetization of 50-180 A·m 2 /kg.

9. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 7 , having coercivity of 8 kA/m or less.

10. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 7 , wherein two or more fine Fe particles having an average particle size of 1 μm or less are contained in the TiO 2 -based titanium oxide.

11. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 7 , wherein after 2.5 parts by mass of said fine, coated metal particles are immersed in 100 parts by mass of a physiological saline solution for 72 hours, the concentration of Fe ion in said physiological saline solution is 0.1 ppm or less.

12. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 7 , wherein after 0.2×10 5 PC-3 cells are added to 0.05 mL of PBS containing said fine, coated metal particles at a concentration of 2 mg/mL and incubated at 37° C. for 72 hours, the number of said PC-3 cells is 50% or more of that when incubated without adding said fine, coated metal particles.

13. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , wherein said fine, coated metal particles have an average particle size d50 of 0.1-10 μm.

14. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , wherein a ratio D/d50 of the average particle size D of said fine metal particles to the average particle size d50 of said fine, coated metal particles is 0.5 or less.

15. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , having Ti oxide wires on the surface.

16. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , wherein said metal M is Fe; and wherein after 25 mg of said fine, coated metal particles are immersed in 1 mL of an aqueous guanidine hydrochloride solution at a concentration of 6 M for 24 hours, the amount of Fe ion eluted is 100 mg/L or less.

17. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 5 , wherein the intensity ratio of the maximum peak of TiO 2 to the maximum peak of the metal M is 0.05 or more.

18. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 17 , wherein said metal M is Fe.

19. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 18 , having a saturation magnetization of 50-180 A·m 2 /kg.

20. The fine, coated metal particles according to claim 17 , wherein said fine, coated metal particles have an average particle size of d50 of 0.1-10 μm.