Carboxymethylated Polyvinyl Alcohol Stabilizes Doped Ferrofluids for Biological Applications

Highly magnetic MnFe2O4 nanocrystals (NCs) are coated with non-cross-linked carboxymethyl polyvinyl alcohol to produce conjugates that are highly stable under varying temperatures, pH, and ionic strengths. The polymer-coated NCs exhibit low nonspecific cell binding. They are also amenable to chemical linking with biomolecules, allowing for the efficient labeling of surface receptors on targeted cancer cells in vitro.