Preparation and Characterization of Magnetite – Silica Core – Shell Nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, two types of ligands were introduced onto the surface of magnetite nanoparticles by hydrolysis and condensation of organosilicon reagents: organosilane-tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and aminoorganosilane - aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). It is shown that coatings based on SiO2 solve a double problem: first, they prevent the aggregation of nanoparticles and the oxidation of magnetite; secondly, they allow the surface to be modified with various specific ligands for biomedical applications due to terminal groups. It was shown, that after the modification of TEOS and APTES (in argon and in air), the Fe3O4 content decreases to 66, 42, and 36%, respectively. The formation of a silicon framework on the magnetite surface due to Fe-O-Si and Si-O-Si bonds was determined by IR spectroscopy. The identification of surface amino groups is complicated due to the superposition of absorption bands of NH2- and OH-groups. This opens new prospective for creation of tailored nanocomposites containing magnetite nanoparticles. These materials can be further used as sorbents for various applications.