Superparamagnetic silica nanoparticles with immobilized metal affinity ligands for protein adsorption

Superparamagnetic silica-coated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles with immobilized metal affinity ligands were prepared for protein adsorption. First, magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitating Fe2+ and Fe3+ in an ammonia solution. Then silica was coated on the Fe3O4 nanoparticles using a sol–gel method to obtain magnetic silica nanoparticles. The condensation product of 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GLYMO) and iminodiacetic acid (IDA) was immobilized on them and after charged with Cu2+, the magnetic silica nanoparticles with immobilized Cu2+ were applied for the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Scanning electron micrograph showed that the magnetic silica nanoparticles with an average size of 190 nm were well dispersed without aggregation. X-ray diffraction showed the spinel structure for the magnetite particles coated with silica. Magnetic measurement revealed the magnetic silica nanoparticles were superparamagnetic and the saturation magnetization was about 15.0 emu/g. Protein adsorption results showed that the nanoparticles had high adsorption capacity for BSA (73 mg/g) and low nonspecific adsorption. The regeneration of these nanoparticles was also studied.