Atom transfer radical polymerization synthesis and magnetic characterization of MnFe2O4/polystyrene core/shell nanoparticles.

An atom transfer radical polymerization route is developed for the coating of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with polystyrene yielding the core-shell nanoparticles with size <15 nm. Magnetic studies show a decrease in coercivity after the formation of polystyrene shell, which is considered due to the reduction of magnetic surface anisotropy upon polymer coating. The MnFe2O4 nanoparticles as the magnetic core were separately prepared by a reverse micelle microemulsion method. Polymerization initiators are chemically attached onto the surface of nanoparticles. The modified nanoparticles are then used as macro-initiators in the subsequent polymerization reaction. This approach provides great flexibility in the selection of magnetic core. Consequently, magnetic tunability is able to be introduced into these core/shell nanoparticulate systems to achieve the desired superparamagnetic response.