Carboxyl enriched monodisperse porous Fe3O4 nanoparticles with extraordinary sustained-release property

Carboxyl-enriched monodisperse porous Fe3O4 nanoparticles with diameters of about 85-nm have been synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The porous structure of the product is confirmed further by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and nitrogen sorption measurement with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area about 36.61 m2/g. An IR spectrum of the sample identifies that abundant carboxylate groups are formed on the surface of the nanoparticles as well as the pore surface. Because of the confined effect of the nanochannels in the nanoparticles and carboxyl-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and the strong interaction between ibuprofen and COO-, as-prepared porous nanoparticles show a more extraordinary sustained-release property than that of hollow silica nanoparticles in vitro. This result suggests that as-prepared porous nanoparticles can also be used for the targeted delivery of other aromatic acid drugs.