Facile graft of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) onto Fe(3) O(4) nanoparticles by ATRP: synthesis, properties, and biocompatibility.

Magnetite (Fe(3) O(4) ) nanoparticles with the surface hydroxyl groups were achieved by a polyol process. Using 2-(4-chlorosulfonylphenyl) ethyltrichlorosilane (CTCS) as initiator, 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) as monomer, poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC)-grafted Fe(3) O(4) nanoparticles (MNP) were successfully prepared via the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The successful grafting of PMPC on the Fe(3) O(4) nanoparticles surface was ascertained from the FTIR analysis. The modified nanoparticles (MNP-CTCS-PMPC) showed a good biocompatibility in the cytotoxicity test in vitro. Performance testing of MNP-CTCS-PMPC was performed through magnetic resonance analysis (MR), and its r(2) /r(1) value was 24.1. These results indicated that the modified Fe(3) O(4) nanoparticles would be a potential MRI contrast reagent.