Characterization and application of Fe3O4/SiO2 nanocomposites

A sol-gel procedure was used to cover Fe3O4 nanoparticles with SiO2 shell, forming a core/shell structure. The core/shell nanocomposites were synthesized by a two-step process. First, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were obtained through co-precipitation and dispersed in aqueous solution through electrostatic interactions in the presence of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH). In the second step, Fe3O4 was capped with SiO2 generated from the hydrolyzation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The structure and properties of the formed Fe3O4/SiO2 nanocomposites were characterized and the results indicate that the Fe3O4/SiO2 nanocomposites are superparamagnetic and are about 30 nm in size. Bioconjugation to IgG was also studied. Finally, the mechanism of depositing SiO2 on magnetic nanoparticles was discussed.