Catechol versus bisphosphonate ligand exchange at the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles: towards multi-functionalization

Abstract

We report an investigation of the ligand exchange at the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles in water. For this purpose we compared two strong chelating agents on the iron oxide surface containing catechol and bisphosphonate moieties. Interactions between the coating agents (catechol/bisphosphonate) and the nanoparticle’s surface were studied by FTIR and DFT calculations. Ligand exchange experiments were performed using sonication and the exchange yield was characterized by FTIR and EDX. This methodology allowed introducing bisphosphonates with various functionalities (alkyne or biotin) permitting multi-functionalization.