Synthesis of Silica@α-Fe2O3 nanospheres by surface-initiated ATRP

We reported a new method to prepare Silica@α-Fe2O3 nanospheres by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Firstly, polymerizable surfactants-modified α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were prepared in water–toluene microemulsion. Then, as-synthesized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles acted as the macro-monomer of surface-initiated ATRP on silica nanospheres to make target product. Morphological characterization of the product was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy were used to verify the incorporation of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles on silica nanosphere.