One-pot polyol synthesis of monosize PVP-coated sub-5nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated sub-5 nm monosize Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction of Fe(III) acetylacetonate in the presence of PVP polymer as surfactant in one-pot polyol process. Their microstructure and magnetic properties were characterized by XRD, TEM/HRTEM and VSM. It is found that the nanoparticles have high crystallinity with distinct lattices and the magnetic measurements reveal their well-defined superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. Such Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with tailorable size and tunable magnetic properties are promising for biomedical applications.