Mono and dialkoxysilane surface modification of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for application as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents

Journal of Materials Research volume 27, pages1846–1852(2012)Cite this article

Abstract

In this study, we have developed and characterized two previously unstudied alkoxysilane surface chemistries for use with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles as a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent. We modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) using aminopropyl triethoxysilane and two analogous alkoxysilanes, aminopropyl dimethylethoxysilane and aminopropyl methyldiethoxysilane, to compare a mono- and dialkoxysilane, respectively, to a more commonly used trialkoxysilane as two new SPIO surface chemistries capable of forming ultrathin functional surface coatings. The ligand densities of the mono- and dialkoxysilane-modified SPIO produced in this study are consistent with near monolayers of ligands on the SPIO surface. We studied the chemical stability of the mono-, di-, and trialkoxysilane-modified SPIO in neutral and acidic media to evaluate the viability of these surface chemistries for use in long-term intracellular applications. The mono- and dialkoxysilane-modified SPIO demonstrate comparable chemical stability to the trialkoxysilane-modified SPIO, indicating that the mono- and dialkoxysilane are both viable new SPIO surface chemistries for future applications requiring minimally thick alkoxysilane surface coatings.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80401, USA

    Brian A. Larsen

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, 36849, USA

    Kendall M. Hurst & W. Robert Ashurst

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, University Cancer of Colorado Center Imaging Core, Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA

    Natalie J. Serkova & Conrad R. Stoldt

Authors
  1. Brian A. Larsen
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  2. Kendall M. Hurst
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  3. W. Robert Ashurst
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  4. Natalie J. Serkova
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  5. Conrad R. Stoldt
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Correspondence to Conrad R. Stoldt.

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Larsen, B.A., Hurst, K.M., Ashurst, W.R. et al. Mono and dialkoxysilane surface modification of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for application as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. Journal of Materials Research 27, 1846–1852 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.160

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