Green fabrication of agar-conjugated Fe_3O_4 magnetic nanoparticles

摘要

Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest both for fundamental research and emerging applications. In the biomedical field, magnetite (Fe _3O_4) has shown promise as a hyperthermia-based tumor therapeutic. However, preparing suitable solubilized magnetite nanoparticles is challenging, primarily due to aggregation and poor biocompatibility. Thus methods for coating Fe_3O_4 NPs with biocompatible stabilizers are required. We report a new method for preparing Fe _3O_4 nanoparticles by co-precipitation within the pores of agar gel samples. Permeated agar gels were then dried and ground into a powder, yielding agar-conjugated Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles. Samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR, TGA, TEM and SQUID. This method for preparing agar-coated Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles is environmentally friendly, inexpensive and scalable.