Synthesis of highly-specific stable nanocrystalline goethite-like hydrous ferric oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications by simple precipitation method.

Exploration of novel types of iron oxide nanoparticles as well as novel versatile ways to prepare them in a controlled manner keeping in mind necessity of narrow size distributions and high colloidal and chemical stability is an important task for modern nanochemistry. Most of the procedures for preparation of nanocrystalline iron oxides require drastic conditions and complex mixtures of reagents, therefore there is a high demand for methods of synthesis of such nanoparticles (NPs) in mild conditions. In this study, we discovered a new way to prepare crystalline goethite-like hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) NPs by fast and simple precipitation procedure in aqueous media and probed modification strategies aimed at the development of modified HFO nanoparticles for biomedical applications, including express-diagnostics and specific cell targeting.