Synthesis and application in drug delivery of hollow-core-double-shell magnetic iron oxide/silica/calcium silicate nanocomposites

• The hollow-core-double-shell magnetic nanocomposite has been synthesized.
• The nanocomposite is composed of iron oxide/silica/calcium silicate.
• The nanocomposite is superparamagnetic and has a good drug delivery behavior.
• The nanocomposite is promising for the application in targeted drug delivery.

Nanocomposites with magnetic iron oxide as the hollow core, silica as the middle shell and calcium silicate as the outer shell are the ideal agent for application in medical diagnosis and therapy. In this paper, by sol–gel coating the self-assembled nanoparticles of magnetic iron oxide with silica, then reacting with Ca(NO3)2·4H2O at 600 °C in inert N2 atmosphere, the nanocomposite consisting of hollow-core-double-shell magnetic iron oxide/silica/calcium silicate has been successfully synthesized. The components of the hollow core, middle layer and outer layer are Fe3O4, SiO2, CaSiO4, respectively. The nanocomposite has a superparamagnetic behavior and good drug delivery performance, which are promising for the application in targeted drug delivery.