Poly(1-vinylimidazole) grafted on magnetic nanoparticles - attainment of novel nanostructures

New magnetic core shell nanoparticles were synthesized consisting of a magnetite core and a poly (1-vinylimidazole) shell.Magnetite nanoparticles were first coated by bis(methacryloyloxyethoxy)phosphate as a reactive alkene-containing anchor followed by radical polymerization of 1-vinylimidazole.The poly(1vinylimidazole) coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNP-PVIm) represent versatile magnetic nanoplatforms capable of complexing different types of metals.Their chemical structure was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).The novel nanostructures MNP-PVIm were used as a promising platform for complexing rare earth metals, as gadolinium, terbium, erbium and europium.The morphology and the content of rare earth metals were determined by Transmission Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX).The magnetization curves of MNP-PVIm demonstrate the superparamagnetic nature of these nanostructures.