We report a synthetic method for small and uniform Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanoparticles under mild conditions. Spherical sub-3 nm-sized magnetite nanoparticles were prepared via reverse micelles composed of oleylamine, F127, xylene, and water for the reaction of iron(III) stearate with hydrazine at a reaction temperature of 90 °C in air atmosphere. These synthesized magnetite nanoparticles exhibited good size uniformity. By controlling experimental conditions, we could easily control both size and size uniformity of these magnetite nanoparticles. We further investigated whether Fe3O4 could be used in biomedical applications. Cytotoxicity of Fe3O4 was evaluated with human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Our results showed that the number of hADSCs did not significantly decrease when these cells were treated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles at a concentration of up to 9 μg/mL. Apoptotic activity and cell proliferation of hADSCs treated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles were similar to those of hADSCs without any treatment. This novel method could be used for synthesizing uniform and biocompatible Fe3O4 nanoparticles with further biomedical applications.
Keywords: iron oxide; magnetite; nanoparticles; reverse micelle; sub-3 nm.