One-pot reaction for the large-scale synthesis of hyperbranched polyglycerol-grafted Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Fe3O4 nanoparticles with surface hydroxyl groups (MNP-OH), prepared by the thermal decomposition of ferric oxalate pentahydrate in triethylene glycol, were grafted in situ with polyglycerol through the ring-opening polymerization of glycidol. By this method, hyperbranched polyglycerol-grafted Fe3O4 nanoparticles (HPG-grafted MNPs) can be obtained on an ultra-large scale of 50 g in a single reaction under laboratory conditions, and it is anticipated that the production of the HPG-grafted MNPs could be scaled up with the use of larger reaction vessels. The successful grafting of HPG onto the nanoparticles was confirmed by (1)H NMR and XPS analyses. The as-synthesized nanoparticles can be tuned from 8 to 24 nm in diameter by varying the reaction conditions. The size, morphology, and surface component of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, XPS, and XRD. The HPG-grafted MNPs are highly dispersible in aqueous media such as cell culture medium and serum. Since these magnetic nanoparticles possess desirable magnetic properties, controllable size, and can be produced by a facile inexpensive method, they can be potentially applied as a novel contrast agent for enhancing a MRI signal.