High Energy Ball Milling and Liquid Crystal Template Method: A Successful Combination for the Preparation of Magnetic Nano-Platforms

Scano, Alessandra

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Magner, Edmond

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Pilloni, Martina

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Peddis, Davide

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Sini, Franca

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Slimani, Sawssen

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Ennas, Guido

Member of the Collaboration Group

2021-01-01

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Abstract

In this study, we present the preparation of superparamagnetic ordered mesoporous silica (SOMS) for biomedical applications by the combination of high energy ball milling (HEBM) and the liquid crystal template method (LCT) to produce a material comprised of room temperature superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in a MCM-41 like mesostructured silica. In a typical synthesis, a mixture of Fe₂O₃ and silica was sealed in a stainless-steel vial with steel balls. Ball milling experiments were performed in a vibratory mill apparatus. The milling process produced nanocomposites with an average size ranging from ∼100-200 nm, where the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (4.8 nm size) are homogeneously dispersed into the amorphous SiO₂ matrix. The obtained nanocomposite has been used for the preparation of the SOMS through the LCT method. Structural, morphological and textural characterization were performed using X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen sorption analysis. Field dependence of magnetization was investigated and showed superparamagnetic behaviour at 300 K with a value of saturation magnetization (Ms) that is of interest for biomedical applications.