Preparation and characterization of Mn–Zn ferrite/poly(N,N′-isopropyl acrylamide) core/shell nanocomposites via in-situ polymerization

A kind of thermosensitive core/shell nanoparticles Mn–Zn ferrite/poly N,N′-isopropylacrylamide is designed in this work. By using surface initiated reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, thermoresponsive poly(N,N′-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was successfully covalently grafted from ferrite core. The graft polymerization exhibited the characteristics of a controlled/“living” polymerization which demonstrated a well controlled molecular weight. The nanoparticles obtained were also characterized by FTIR and HRTEM. FTIR results confirmed the successful graft polymerization, whereas HRTEM observation showed clearly a contrast between an ordered crystalline core and a light amorphous polymeric coating. With combined magnetic and thermosensitive properties, it could potentially be used as an anticancer drug carrier in biomedical field.