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nanotimes News in Brief
Hybrid Nanoparticles // Nanoparticle Purification System
© Text: Penn State, U.S.
hybrid nanoparticles – structures that are composed of two or more kinds of materials in an extremely small particle that is visible only with an electron microscope. Team leaders Mary Beth Williams, an associate professor of chemistry, and Raymond Schaak, a professor of chemistry, explained that the never-before-tried method will help scientists to remove impurities from such particles. The method also will help researchers to distinguish between hy- brid nanoparticles that appear to be identical when viewed under an electron microscope, but that have different magnetism – a great challenge in recent nanoparticle research. The system holds the promise of helping to improve drug-delivery systems, drug- targeting technologies, medical-imaging technologies and electronic information-storage devices.
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Schaak explained that purifying hybrid nanoparticles presents an enormous challenge, especially when na- noparticles are designed for human use – for exam- ple, for drug delivery or as a contrast-dye alternative for patients undergoing MRI studies.
“The problem is that although molecules are syn- thesized and purified using well-known methods, there have not been analogous methods for purifying nanoparticles,” Schaak said. “Hybrid particles are especially challenging because the methods that
team of Penn State scientists has invented a new system that uses magnetism to purify
11-10 :: October 2011
“Nano-olives” are made up of an iron oxide “olive” with an iron and platinum “pimento.” Together the compon- ents make a highly magnetic particle structure, which may one day be useful for data storage in computers. © Penn State
are used to make them often leave impurities that are not easily detected or removed. Impurities can change the properties of a sample, for example, by making them toxic, so it is a major challenge to find ways to remove such impurities.”
Jacob S. Beveridge, Matthew R. Buck, James F. Bondi, Dr. Rajiv Misra, Prof. Peter Schiffer, Prof. Raymond E. Schaak and Prof. Mary Elizabeth Williams: Purification and Ma- gnetic Interrogation of Hybrid Au-Fe3O4 and FePt-Fe3O4 Nanoparticles, In: Angewandte Chemie, Volume 123, Issue 42, October 10, 2011, Pages 10049-10053, DOI:10.1002/ ange.201104829: