Synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles for DNA purification

Sonochemistry in combination with a combustion procedure was used to prepare superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Two different iron precursors, ferrocene and iron(II)-acetate were dispersed in polyethylene-glycol (PEG) with different molecular weight (200-1000) by using a high efficiency ultrasonic technique. The sonochemical treatment initiated the precipitation of iron-hydroxide particles, then the PEG based colloids were burnt to create the iron oxide nanoparticles. Three phases were observed in the samples, magnetite (Fe3O4), hematite (alpha-Fe2O3), and maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) and their ratio can be modified by changing the iron precursor and the type of PEG. Elektrokinetic (Zeta) potential and the particle size of the synthesized iron oxide nanoparticle samples were measured and the one (A1) based on iron(II)-acetate and PEG200 have been selected to test in DNA purification, because it has negative and small size distribution. The synthesized superparamagnetic nanoparticles have been used successfully in biological isolation (DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid purification), and thus, the developed synthetic procedure is more than suitable for such applications.

Automated summary

The study successfully prepared superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using sonochemistry combined with a combustion procedure, which can modify the relative proportions of the nanoparticles by changing the iron precursor and PEG type. The synthesized nanoparticles have been used in biological isolation, such as DNA purification, showing great potential for such applications.