One-pot solvothermal synthesis of highly water-dispersible size-tunable functionalized magnetite nanocrystal clusters...

A facile one-pot synthesis of highly water-dispersible size-tunable magnetite (Fe3O4) nanocrystal clusters (MNCs) end-functionalized with amino or carboxyl groups by a modified solvothermal reduction reaction has been developed. Dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyhydroxycinnamic acid were used for the first time as both a surfactant and interparticle linker in a polylol process for economical and environment-friendly purposes. Morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of the prepared particles were investigated by several methods, including FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA, zeta potential, and VSM. The sizes of the particles could be easily tuned over a wide range from 175 to 500 nm by varying the surfactant concentration. Moreover, ethylene glycol/diethylene glycol (EG/DEG) solvent mixtures with different ratios could be used as reductants to obtain the particles with smaller sizes. The XRD data demonstrated that the surfactants restrained the crystal growth of the grains. The nanoparticles showed superior magnetic properties and high colloidal stability in water. The cytotoxicity results indicated the feasibility of using the synthesized nanocrystals in biology-related fields. To estimate the applicability of the obtained MNCs in biotechnology, Candida rugosa lipase was selected for the enzyme immobilization process. The immobilized lipase exhibited excellent thermal stability and reusability in comparison with the free enzyme. This novel strategy would simplify the reaction protocol and improve the efficiency of materials functionalization, thus offering new potential applications in biotechnology and organocatalysis.