title: Facile surface functionalization of hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles.
abstract: Nonpolar phase synthesized hydrophobic nanocrystals show attractive properties and have demonstrated prominent potential in biomedical applications. However, the preparation of biocompatible nanocrystals is made difficult by the presence of hydrophobic surfactant stabilizer on their surfaces. To address this limitation, we have developed a facile, high efficiency, single-phase and low-cost method to convert hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to an aqueous phase using tetrahydrofuran, NaOH and 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid without any complicated organic synthesis. The as-transferred hydrophilic MNPs are water-soluble over a wide pH range (pH = 3-12), and the solubility is pH-controllable. Furthermore, the as-transferred MNPs with carboxylate can be readily adapted with further surface functionalization, varying from small molecule dyes to oligonucleotides and enzymes. Finally, the strategy developed here can easily be extended to other types of hydrophobic nanoparticles to facilitate biomedical applications of nanomaterials.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cuichen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Sena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cansiz
authors.forename: Liqin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Guizhi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Mingxu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles