New opportunities in the preparation of nanocomposites for biomedical applications: revised mechanosynthesis of magnetite-silica nanocomposites

Environmentally friendly preparation of functionalized magnetite-silica (Fe3O4/SiO2) nanocomposites (NCs) with different SiO2 content (6, 20 and 50 wt%) using revised mechanosynthesis is reported. High-energy ball milling of alpha-Fe2O3, Si and SiO2 mixtures was followed by hydrolysis and condensation of 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane.