Biofunctionalized ferromagnetic CoPt3/polymer nanocomposites

Magnetic latexes were prepared by the encapsulation of organically capped CoPt3 nanoparticles via miniemulsion in situ radical polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate (tBA). This is the first example of a CoPt3 based polymer nanocomposite showing ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature. Each nanocomposite particle contains a magnetic core composed of CoPt3 nanoparticles (d~7 nm, a0 = 3.848 Å) encapsulated by poly(t-butyl acrylate). The CoPt3/PtBA latexes contain polyester groups that can be readily hydrolysed, rendering the surface with carboxylic functionalities and hence allowing bioconjugation. Complementary to such surface modification experiments, we report that bovine IgG antibodies can bind to the magnetic latexes, and the potential of the nanocomposites for in vitro specific bioapplications is discussed.