Easy preparation of stable iron oxide nanoparticles using gelatin as stabilizing molecules

Iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by adding NaBH4 to aqueous solution of an Fe3+ salt in the presence of gelatin as the stabilizing reagent. The obtained nanoparticles are relatively unique and can be separated by centrifugation. They can be collected in the dried powder form by centrifugation and freeze-drying. Their structural properties analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction, as well as their magnetic properties measured by a superconducting quantum interface device are discussed in this paper.