Facile synthesis of pectin coated Fe3O4 nanospheres by the sonochemical method

Abstract Pectin coated Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanospheres (PCMNs) were synthesized by the sonochemical method. The Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were prepared by chemical precipitation as reported in the previous articles, and the PCMNs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a vibrating sample magnetometer and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum. The results indicated that the magnetic nanoparticles have been coated by pectin, magnetite content of which was up to 63%, with the saturation magnetization being 32.69 emu/g. The formation mechanism and further application of PCMNs have also been discussed. The results show that the PCMNs can be applied to biomedical applications.