Fabrication of mesoporous SiO(2)-C-Fe(3)O(4)/gamma-Fe(2)O(3) and SiO(2)-C-Fe magnetic composites.

A synthetic method for the fabrication of silica-based mesoporous magnetic (Fe or iron oxide spinel) nanocomposites with enhanced adsorption and magnetic capabilities is presented. The successful in situ synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles is a consequence of the incorporation of a small amount of carbon into the pores of the silica, this step being essential for the generation of relatively large iron oxide magnetic nanocrystals ( approximately 10+/-3nm) and for the formation of iron nanoparticles. These composites combine good magnetic properties (superparamagnetic behaviour in the case of SiO(2)-C-Fe(3)O(4)/gamma-Fe(2)O(3) samples) with a large and accessible porosity made up of wide mesopores (>9nm). In the present work, we have demonstrated the usefulness of this kind of composite for the adsorption of a globular protein (hemoglobin). The results obtained show that a significant amount of hemoglobin can be immobilized within the pores of these materials (up to 180mgg(-1) for some of the samples). Moreover, we have proved that the composite loaded with hemoglobin can be easily manipulated by means of an external magnetic field.