Volume 4 Issue 2
Authors: Yuan Cheng; Kangning Sun; Aimin Li; Sumei Wang
Abstract: Due to its excellent magnetic and catalytic properties and its biocompatibility, Au@Fe3O4 has been widely used in biomedical applications, such as tumor treatment. In this study, Au@Fe3O4 nanospheres were prepared using polyethylene glycol as the dispersant. Different weight ratios of Fe3O4 to Au were tested in order to obtain evenly coated Au@Fe3O4 nanospheres. The structural and magnetic properties were investigated with transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating-sample magnetometry. We found that the Au@Fe3O4 nanospheres were well coated when the weight ratio of Fe3O4:Au was 3:8. Moreover, the Au@Fe3O4 nanospheres showed a high saturation magnetization of 54 emu/g, indicating their potential for use in numerous biomedical applications.
Keywords: Au@Fe3O4; Nanospheres; Magnetism; Nanocomposite Particles