Green fabrication of agar-conjugated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest both for fundamental research and emerging applications. In the biomedical field, magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) has shown promise as a hyperthermia-based tumor therapeutic. However, preparing suitable solubilized magnetite nanoparticles is challenging, primarily due to aggregation and poor biocompatibility. Thus methods for coating Fe(3)O(4) NPs with biocompatible stabilizers are required. We report a new method for preparing Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles by co-precipitation within the pores of agar gel samples. Permeated agar gels were then dried and ground into a powder, yielding agar-conjugated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles. Samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR, TGA, TEM and SQUID. This method for preparing agar-coated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles is environmentally friendly, inexpensive and scalable.