Magnetic nanoparticles for removal of particulate waste
AssigneeThe Texas A&M University System
InventorsLeisha Martin, Wei Xu
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Abstract
Coated magnetic nanoparticles and methods for attracting, isolating, and/or removing of particulate waste from environments are provided. A coated magnetic nanoparticle may include an iron-containing core surrounded by a hydrophobic or amphiphilic coating. This coating can include a functional group based on PDMS such as C-PDMS, PDMS-co-APMS, and/or PDMS-OH block copolymers. The magnetic nanoparticles may be synthesized in air or air-free in an inert gas. The magnetic nanoparticles may be introduced into, for example, an aqueous environment to bind with waste contained therein through an adsorption process. The magnetic nanoparticles and bound waste may be attracted and removed from the environment by introducing an external magnetic field.
Claims3
A method for using magnetic nanoparticles to remove waste from an environment, the method comprising:
- Administering iron-containing nanoparticles to the environment, said iron-containing nanoparticles comprising an amphiphilic coating with an aminopropylmethylsiloxane-co-dimethylsiloxane block copolymer;
- Attracting waste in the environment utilizing magnetic properties of the iron-containing nanoparticles;
- Binding, through adsorption, the waste to the iron-containing nanoparticles to isolate the waste from the remainder of the environment;
- and
- Applying an external static magnetic field to attract the waste bound to the iron-containing nanoparticles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.