Capillary magnetic field flow fractionation and analysis of magnetic nanoparticles

This paper reports the purification and analysis of magnetic nanoparticles using capillary magnetic field flow fractionation, which utilizes an applied magnetic field oriented orthogonal to the capillary flow. To validate this approach as a separation method for nanometer-scale particles, samples of magnetic nanoparticles composed of either gamma-Fe2O3 (maghemite) or CoFe2O4 with average diameters ranging from 4 to 13 nm were prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and SQUID magnetometry. Retention of the samples on the capillary was investigated as a function of solvent flow rate and the nanoparticle size and composition; the elution times of the nanoparticles are strongly dependent on their magnetic moments. We demonstrate the use of this method to separate a mixture of nanoparticles into size-monodisperse fractions. The magnetic moments of the particles are calculated based on analysis of the retention parameters and correlate with values obtained in separate SQUID magnetometry measurements.     

Dumbbell-like bifunctional Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Dumbbell-like Au-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles are synthesized using decomposition of Fe(CO)(5) on the surface of the Au nanoparticles followed by oxidation in 1-octadecene solvent. The size of the particles is tuned from 2 to 8 nm for Au and 4 nm to 20 nm for Fe(3)O(4). The particles show the characteristic surface plasmon absorption of Au and the magnetic properties of Fe(3)O(4) that are affected by the interactions between Au and Fe(3)O(4). The dumbbell is formed through epitaxial growth of iron oxide on the Au seeds, and the growth can be affected by the polarity of the solvent, as the use of diphenyl ether results in flower-like Au-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles.     

纳米金磁颗粒的组装法制备及其核酸分离性能

以丙烯酰胺为单体,采用原位聚合法制备了Fe3O4/聚丙烯酰胺纳米磁粒(Fe3O4/PAM);利用胺基与金的相互作用,借助自组装法在Fe3O4/PAM表面组装金胶体制备了草莓型纳米金磁颗粒(Fe3O4/PAM/Au);用TEM、VSM、UV-vis对其进行了表征,并考察了表面修饰核酸探针的金磁颗粒对核酸靶分子的分离能力。结果表明,Fe3O4/PAM/Au粒子的粒径为36～56nm,具有超顺磁性,饱和磁化强度为31.2emu/g,分散在磷酸盐缓冲液中的Fe3O4/PAM/Au完全磁分离的时间为6min。修饰核酸探针的Fe3O4/PAM/Au粒子可以借助核酸杂交作用分离核酸靶分子,分离能力为118pmol/mg。     

利用均匀磁场提高聚乙烯亚胺-Fe3O4纳米颗粒复合物的磁转染效果

首次研究了不同均匀度磁场对磁转染效果的影响。测定了单边Halbach磁体和商品化96孔磁板的磁场均匀度。以化学共沉淀法制备聚乙烯亚胺(Polyethyleneimine,PEI)修饰的四氧化三铁(Fe_3O_4)纳米颗粒(PEI-Fe_3O_4),并用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、振动样品磁强计(VSM)、原子力显微镜、琼脂糖凝胶电泳等对其形貌、组成、DNA结合能力等进行表征。用倒置荧光显微镜、流式细胞术观察不同均匀度磁场下人肾上皮细胞(HEK293)对带有绿色荧光蛋白报告基因(GFP)的质粒pDNA(pAdTrackOK)的表达效果,并采用TEM观察PEI-Fe_3O_4磁性纳米颗粒进入细胞的过程。结果显示,所选取的两种磁场均匀度相差约100倍。制备的PEI-Fe_3O_4纳米复合物具有超顺磁性,对质粒pDNA(pAdTrack-OK)有较好的复合能力,其最佳结合氮磷比为0.5;流式细胞术显示转染效率为PEI-Fe_3O_4-pDNA+均匀磁场组(77.75%±0.07%)PEI-Fe_3O_4-pDNA+不均匀磁场组(30.65%±0.49%)PEI-Fe_3O_4-pDNA不加磁场组(7.90%±0.56%)(p0.05);PEI-Fe_3O_4磁性纳米颗粒能有效被细胞吞噬,且对细胞形态的影响不大。结果表明,当磁场强度一定时,磁场均匀度越高,磁转染效率越高,单边Halbach磁体与磁转染结合可以作为一种提高转染效率的新手段,也可以进一步应用在基因治疗中。     

Aerosol-assisted synthesis of thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica spheres with Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica spheres having Fe3O4 nanoparticles are fabricated in one-pot by aerosol-assisted synthesis. A TEM image shows that Fe3O4 nanoparticles are successfully embedded within the mesoporous silica spheres. SEM images and SAXS profiles reveals that the encapsulating Fe3O4 nanoparticles do not affect the ordering of a mesoporous structure. The spherical morphologies are also well retained. The presence of cage-type mesopores with uniform size is confirmed by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and TEM observations. The spray-dried thiol-functionalized particles with Fe3O4 nanoparticles effectively adsorb mercury (II) ions due to their strong interaction to thiol groups embedded in the framework. The particles with the amount of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (3.5 wt%) show a saturated magnetization (over 1.0 emu/g). This magnetic property is useful for practical collection with magnet.     

A ferrofluid guided system for the rapid separation of the non-magnetic particles in a microfluidic device

A microfluidic device was fabricated via UV lithography technique to separate non-magnetic fluoresbrite carboxy microspheres (approximately 4.5 microm) in the pH 7 ferrofluids made of magnetite nanoparticles (approximately 10 nm). A mixture of microspheres and ferrofluid was injected to a lithographically developed Y shape microfluidic device, and then by applying the external magnet fields (0.45 T), the microspheres were clearly separated into different channels because of the magnetic force acting on those non-magnetic particles. During this study, various pumping speeds and particle concentrations associated with the various distances between the magnet and the microfluidic device were investigated for an efficient separation. This study may be useful for the separation of biological particles, which are very sensitive to pH value of the solutions.     

Gold and magnetic oxide/gold core/shell nanoparticles as bio-functional nanoprobes

The ability to create bio-functional nanoprobes for the detection of biological reactivity is important for developing bioassay and diagnostic methods. This paper describes the findings of an investigation of the surface functionalization of gold (Au) and magnetic nanoparticles coated with gold shells (M/Au) by proteins and spectroscopic labels for the creation of nanoprobes for use in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assays. Highly monodispersed Au nanoparticles and M/Au nanoparticles with two types of magnetic nanoparticle cores (Fe(2)O(3) and MnZn ferrite) were studied as model systems for the bio-functionalization and Raman labeling. Comparison of the SERS intensities obtained with different particle sizes (30-100?nm) and samples in solution versus on solid substrates have revealed important information about the manipulation of the SERS signals. In contrast to the salt-induced uncontrollable and irreversible aggregation of nanoparticles, the ability to use a centrifugation method to control the formation of stable small clustering sizes of nanoparticles was shown to enhance SERS intensities for samples in solution as compared with samples on solid substrates. A simple method for labeling protein-capped Au nanoparticles with Raman-active molecules was also described. The functionalized Au and M/Au nanoparticles are shown to exhibit the desired functional properties for the detection of SERS signals in the magnetically separated reaction products. These results are discussed in terms of the interparticle distance dependence of 'hot-spot' SERS sites and the delineation of the parameters for controlling the core-shell reactivity of the magnetic functional nanocomposite materials in bio-separation and spectroscopic probing.     

Catalytic performance of nanosized Pt-Au alloy catalyst in oxidation of methanol and toluene

The alloy formed between a group-VII metal such as platinum and a group-IB metal such as gold changes the catalytic behavior compared to the monometallic phase, increasing the selectivity toward certain products and also decreasing the deactivation rate. Pt-Au alloy nanoparticles coated on alumina support were found to be catalytically very active for complete oxidation of methanol and toluene. Furthermore, the nanosized Pt-Au particles were added to ZnO/Al2O3 on monolith catalyst. Also, effect of various parameters such as concentration of methanol and toluene and feed flow rate was investigated. Au particles were sized in 20 approximately 30 nm and Pt particles were well dispersed. In case of alumina supported powder catalyst, complete oxidation of methanol occurred at a temperature lower than that of toluene. From oxidation activity of monolithic honeycomb with Pt and Au particles, the conversion of methanol was increased with increasing the concentration of methanol, but conversion of toluene showed a decreasing tendency as the concentration of toluene increased. Also, conversion of methanol over honeycomb catalyst was not largely affected by feed flow rate, while conversion in toluene oxidation was decreased rapidly as feed flow rate was increased. As a result, the Pt-Au/ZnO/Al2O3/M catalyst used is likely to efficiently treat a large volume of exhaust gas containing VOCs.     

Preparation of guanidine group functionalized magnetic nanoparticles and the application in preconcentration and separation of acidic protein

Guanidine group (Gnd) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2@NH2-Gnd) were synthesized and characterized in this work for the first time. The characterization of Fe3O4@SiO2@ NH2-Gnd nanoparticles was demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, vibration sample magnetometer, and zeta potential analyzer. The novel multifunctional nanoparticles were served as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for easy isolation and preconcentration of acidic protein from aqueous solution only using a magnet. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a model protein and the main experimental parameters influencing the adsorption and desorption efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the particles reached saturated adsorption within 20 min and exhibited significant specific recognition for the acidic proteins. Fifteen fold enrichment efficiency was achieved and the detection limits was 45 ng x mL(-1) for BSA by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The practical application of the novel nanoparticles as a sorbent for the isolation and preconcentration of acidic proteins from basic proteins was demonstrated by effective separation and enrichment of bovine serum albumin from lysozyme and cytochrome C mixture, which was assayed by CE.     

超临界CO2中聚丙烯酸丁酯/Fe3O4复合物的制备及应用

通过超临界二氧化碳(scCO2)沉淀聚合法制备了磁性聚丙烯酸丁酯(PBA/Fe3O4)复合物。首先经共沉淀法制备油酸(OA)改性的纳米Fe3O4颗粒,然后以丙烯酸丁酯(BA)为反应单体,偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)为引发剂,二甲基丙烯酸乙二醇酯(EGDMA)为交联剂,正己烷为助溶剂,在scCO2中制备了PBA/Fe3O4复合物。对复合物进行了红外光谱、透射电镜、热重分析、X射线衍射表征和磁性能测试,结果显示OA-Fe3O4与PBA复合。对磁性复合物进行吸油性能测试,当反应压力为17MPa,改性纳米Fe3O4用量为6.7%时,反应生成的PBA/Fe3O4复合物对柴油的吸附量达7g/g,利用磁铁可对吸油复合物进行回收,经CO2再生后可重复使用10次,复合物对柴油的吸附量仍维持在5g/g以上。     

Fe3O4磁性纳米颗粒的合成与接枝聚合修饰（英文）

以氨水作为沉淀剂并控制溶液的pH值,采用Fe3+和Fe2+共沉淀法制得了磁性四氧化三铁纳米颗粒。合成的磁性纳米颗粒通过高分辨透射电镜、X射线衍射仪、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪进行了表征。四氧化三铁纳米颗粒的粒径约为10nm,其表面含有丰富的羟基。为了增强磁性四氧化三铁纳米颗粒和聚合物基质之间的相互作用,在纳米颗粒的表面接枝上乙烯基单体。傅里叶变换红外光谱仪和热重分析仪的测试结果显示,聚合物链共价结合在纳米颗粒表面。表面接枝聚合后,四氧化三铁纳米颗粒由极性转变为非极性。     

One Step Synthesis of Gold‐Loaded Radial Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres and Supported Lipid Bilayer Functionalization: Towards Bio‐Multifunctional Sensors

A simple synthetic route is developed to achieve gold functionalized radial mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Au‐MsNP) synthesized by a one step procedure fully compatible with basic conditions required for the preparation of monodispersed nanospheres. In a second step, Au‐MsNP particles have been coated with phospholipid bilayers in order to design an advanced biofunctional platform with the gold metallic nanoparticles previously grown into the pore channels and responsible for a plasmonic activity relevant for biosensing. The size of Au‐MsNP is checked by dynamic light scattering while zeta potential measurements reflect their surface charge. The particle morphology is characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy and the Si/Au ratios are obtained from energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. The textural properties of Au‐MsNP, specific surface area and pore size, are determined from N₂ adsorption. The supported bilayers are achieved from vesicles of different phospholipids incubated with Au‐MsNP particles. The coating efficiency is investigated by zeta potential and cryo‐ transmission electron microscopy. The plasmonic activities of bare Au‐MsNP particles and coated lipid bilayer Au‐MsNP platform are evidenced for two model systems: direct adsorption of bovine serum albumin and molecular recognition events between avidin molecules and biotin receptors integrated in the supported lipid bilayer.     

Structural verification and optical characterization of SiO2–Au–Cu2O nanoparticles

In this paper, SiO₂–Au–Cu₂O core/shell/shell nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing gold chloride on 3-amino-propyl-triethoxysilane molecules attached silica nanoparticle cores for several stages. Cu₂O nanoparticles were synthesized readily with the size of 4–5 nm using a simple route of sol–gel method Then, they were clung to the surface of Au seeds. The morphology of the resultant particles was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate growth of monodispersed gold seeds and Cu₂O nanoparticles in narrow size up to 10 nm and 5 nm, respectively. The presence of gold and Cu₂O coating was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Absorption spectroscopy shows considerably 40 nm blue shift in absorption edge for SiO₂–Au–Cu₂O nanostructure rather than SiO₂–Au core/shell nanoparticles.     

Design and Evaluation of Magnetic Fields for Nanoparticle Drug Targeting in Cancer

The retention of superparamagnetic nanoparticles under the influence of a high-gradient magnetic field was investigated. A simulation algorithm for prediction of the particle's trajectories and, therefore, the total amount of adhered particles in an artificial vessel was developed. Comparisons between in vitro experiments and simulations showed that the required experimental magnetic moments were greater than the theoretically estimated magnetic moments. This paper presents a method for investigating magnetic fields and for determining the magnetic moment of particles by simulation of their trajectories. The detailed function of magnetic drug targeting is of great importance in animal studies and in human therapies     

Preparation of nanosized Pt-Au alloy catalyst and its activity in methanol oxidation

The alloy catalyst has been widely used because it will be able to improve the activity and selectivity of the single metal catalyst in a given chemical reaction. In this study, the preparation and characteristics of nanosized Pt and Au particles on alumina and their catalytic activity were described. Nanosized Pt-Au catalysts were prepared by impregnation (IMP) method and deposition (DP) method using alumina or ZnO/Al2O3 as support. The size of Pt and Au particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Catalytic activity for oxidation of methanol was measured using a flow reactor. It could be seen that the Pt particle size and dispersion in the alloy catalysts was rarely influenced by preparation methods and Au particles coated by deposition method were well dispersed. TEM images showed that Au particles were well dispersed in the Pt/Au/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst of which Au particles was supported by deposition method. The catalytic activity for methanol are given in the order of Pt-Au[IMP]/ZnO/Al2O3 > Pt[IMP]/Au[DP]/ZnO/Al2O3 > Au[DP]/Pt[IMP]/ZnO/Al2O3 > Pt-Au[DP]/ZnO/Al2O3. Therefore, Au particle size was doing not play an important role in increasing the oxidation activity, but the Au particles may promote the methanol oxidation.     

Synthesis of SiO2-coated ZnMnFe2O4 nanospheres with improved magnetic properties

A core-shell structured composite, SiO2 coated ZnMnFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles (average diameter of approximately 80 nm), was prepared by hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of ZnMnFe2O4 nanoparticles (average diameter of approximately 10 nm) synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The magnetic measurements were carried out on a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and the measurement results indicate that the core-shell samples possess better magnetic properties at room temperature, compared with paramagnetic colloids with a magnetic core by a coprecipitation method. These core-shell nanospherical particles with self-assembly under additional magnetic fields could have potential application in biomedical systems.     

Au Dotted Magnetic Network Nanostructure and Its Application for On‐Site Monitoring Femtomolar Level Pesticide

A novel magnetically responsive and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) active nanocomposite is designed and prepared by direct grafting of Au nanoparticles onto the surface of magnetic network nanostructure (MNN) with the help of a nontoxic and environmentally friendly reagent of inositol hexakisphosphate shortly named as IP₆. The presence of IP₆ as a stabilizer and a bridging agent could weave Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) into magnetic network nanostructure, which is easily dotted with Au nanoparticles (Au NPs). It has been shown firstly that the huge Raman enhancement of Au‐MNN is reached by an external magnetic collection. Au‐MNN presenting the large surface and high detection sensitivity enables it to exhibit multifunctional applications involving sufficient adsorption of dissolved chemical species for enrichment, separation, as well as a Raman amplifier for the analysis of trace pesticide residues at femtomolar level by a portable Raman spectrometer. Therefore, such multifunctional nanocomposites can be developed as a smart and promising nanosystem that integrates SERS approach with an easy assay for concentration by an external magnet for the effective on‐site assessments of agricultural and environmental safety.     

Immobilization of Prussian Blue nanoparticles onto thiol SAM modified Au electrodes for electroanalytical or biosensor applications

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-protected Prussian Blue (PB) nanoparticles were prepared by simply mixing FeCI3 and K4Fe(CN)6 with absence or presence of HCI or/and KCI in water solution. The obtained PB nanoparticles were immobilized onto thiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified Au electrodes. L-cysteine (Cys) and 1,8-octanedithiol (ODT) were compared as a bridge between the gold surface and the PB nanoparticles. The results show that PB prepared from the initial solution with KCI gives preferred electrochemical response and that Cys/Au shows improved immobilization effect of PB than ODT/Au. The obtained PB/Cys/Au electrodes exhibit electrocatalytic activity toward H2O2 reduction and DL-homocysteine (HCys) oxidation. Glucose oxidase (GOX) was immobilized onto PB modified electrode to explore the potentials for the design of oxidase-based biosensors. It is possible to anchor PB nanoparticles and develop their application on electroanalysis and biosensing.     

Study of flow fractionation characteristics of magnetic chromatography utilizing high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet

We present numerical simulation of separating magnetic particles with different magnetic susceptibilities by magnetic chromatography using a high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet. The transient transport is numerically simulated for two kinds of particles having different magnetic susceptibilities. The time evolutions were calculated for the particle concentration in the narrow channel of the spiral arrangement placed in the magnetic field. The field is produced by the highly magnetized high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet. The numerical results show the flow velocity difference of the particle transport corresponding to the difference in the magnetic susceptibility, as well as the possible separation of paramagnetic particles of 20 nm diameter.     

A Comparative Study on the Selected Area Electron Diffraction Pattern of Fe Oxide/Au Core-shell Structured Nanoparticles

The selected area electron diffraction （SAED） pattern of magnetic iron oxide core/gold shell nanoparticles has been studied. For the composite particles with mean size less than 10 nm, their SAED pattern is found to be different from either the pattern of pure Fe oxide nanoparticles or that of pure Au particles. Based on the fact that the ring diameters of these composite particles fit the characteristic relation for the fcc structure, the Au atoms on surfaces of the concerned particles are supposed to pack in a way more tightly than they usually do in pure Au nanoparticles. The driving force for this is the coherency strain which enables the shell material at the heterostructured interface to adapt the lattice parameters of the core.