Preparation and characterization of poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-grafted magnetic nanoparticles: Effects of the precursor concentration on polyol synthesis of Fe3O4 and [PMDETA]0/[CuBr2]0 ratios on SI-AGET ATRP

Polymer brushes based on poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) have been successfully grafted from the surface of silica coated iron oxide (Fe3O4@SiO2) nanoparticles via surface-initiated activators generated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-AGET ATRP). The size of the nanoparticles could be adjusted from 7.3 to 9.6 nm by varying the precursor concentration of iron(III) acetylacetonate. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles possessed a highly crystalline structure, and the saturation magnetization of the as-prepared magnetite was strongly related to the particle size. Furthermore, the grafted PGMA content on the magnetic nanoparticles could be controlled by varying the ligand to transition metal ratio in a N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA)/CuBr2 catalyst system. The maximum grafted content was 23.1% at a ratio of [PMDETA]0/[CuBr2]0 = 2:1.