PNNL

Abstract

We report on the facile large-scale synthesis of magnetite@silica core-shell nanoparticles by a simple addition of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) into reverse micelles during the formation of uniformly-sized magnetite nanoparticles. The size of magnetic core was determined by the ratio of solvent and surfactant in reverse micelle solution while the thickness of silica shell could be easily controlled by adjusting the amount of added TEOS. Amino group functional groups were grafted to the magnetic nanoparticles, and crosslinked enzyme clusters (CEC) were fabricated on the surface of magnetite@silica nanoparticles. The resulting hybrid materials of magnetite and CEC were magnetically separable, highly active, and stable enough to show no decrease of enzyme activity under rigorous shaking for more than 15 days.