A general route to construct diverse multifunctional Fe3O4/metal hybrid nanostructures.

We have developed a simple, efficient, economical, and general approach to construct diverse multifunctional Fe(3)O(4)/metal hybrid nanostructures displaying magnetization using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) as a linker. High-density Au nanoparticles (NPs) could be supported on the surface of superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) spheres and used as seeds to construct Au shell-coated magnetic spheres displaying near-infrared (NIR) absorption, which may make them promising in biosensor and biomedicine applications. High-density flowerlike Au/Pt hybrid NPs could be supported on the surface of Fe(3)O(4) spheres to construct multifunctional hybrid spheres with high catalytic activity towards the electron-transfer reaction between potassium ferricyanide and sodium thiosulfate. High-density Ag or Au/Ag core/shell NPs could also be supported on the surface of Fe(3)O(4) spheres and exhibited pronounced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which may possibly be used as an optical probe with magnetic function for application in high-sensitivity bioassays.