One-step synthesis of biocompatible magnetite/silk fibroin core-shell nanoparticles.

A one-step hydrothermal process with silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers as the template and coating was developed to synthesize core-shell magnetite/SF nanoparticles with limited controllable sizes. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles gradually aggregated into nanospheres with sizes increased from 120 to 500 nm by increasing the SF content in the reaction system. The magnetic properties and biocompatibility of Fe3O4/SF nanoparticles, as well as their functional ability with antibodies are also discussed to assess their possible applications in MRI and bio-separation. Compared to previous two-step processes, our one-step method provides a simpler and more cost-effective approach to prepare biocompatible core-shell magnetite nanoparticles.