Continuous Preparation of Water-Dispersible Magnetite Nanoparticles by Electrochemical Synthesis

Highly water-dispersible magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by convenient electrochemical techniques using a continuous flow reactor. The surface properties of the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were modified with hydrophilic organic ligands during the electrochemical synthesis process to control the degree of dispersion in water. The kind of hydrophilic low-molecular weight polymers or surfactants influenced the sizes of the particles ranged between 25–40 nm (in diameter) and their size distribution. Chitosan-modified MNPs exhibited the most uniform particle size distribution among the MNPs synthesized in this study as well as excellent dispersion stability and magnetic properties in water after the crosslinking of the amino groups in chitosan. Especially, the dispersion stability of the MNPs in water was systematically investigated via a light scattering analysis.