Multifunctional magnetite and silica-magnetite nanoparticles: Synthesis, surface activation and applications in life sciences

A method for the introduction of amine groups onto the surface of magnetite and silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles has been established based on the condensation of aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Amine-modified particles were grafted with an oligonucleotide and used in the capture of a complimentary sequence. The particles' efficiency at capture was observed to correlate directly with amine group surface density.