Magnetothermia-Induced Catalytic Hollow Nanoreactor for Bioorthogonal Organic Synthesis in Living Cells

Nanoreactors, in which the reactions are remotely controlled by magnetic fields, are potentially valuable in bioorthogonal chemistry for future applications. Here, we develop a silica-confined magnetothermia-induced nanoreactor (MAG-NER) by selectively growing Pd nanocrystals on a preinstalled iron-oxide core inside a hollow silica nanoshell. The growth is achieved by magnetic induction. The interfacial catalytic site is activated by stimulating localized magnetothermia, and nanocompartmentalization is realized by the size-selective porous silica. Therefore, MAG-NER can be conveniently used in complex biomedia and can even be internalized to living cells, realizing an on-demand, high-performance intramolecular carbocyclization reaction by remote operation without compromising the cell viability. This work opens avenues for the design of advanced nanoreactors that complement and augment the existing bioorthogonal chemical tools.