Nanoparticles of Prussian Blue Ferritin:  A New Route for Obtaining Nanomaterials

Abstract

The dissociation of apoferritin into subunits at pH 2 followed by its re-formation at pH 8.5 in the presence of hexacyanoferrate(III) gave rise to a solution containing hexacyanoferrate(III) trapped within the apoferritin and hexacyanoferrate(III) outside it. The addition of Fe(II) to the dialyzed solution resulted in the appearance of the characteristic Prussian blue color. The UV-vis spectrum of this solution showed a broad band centered at 710 nm, and the IR spectrum contained a broad-medium band at 2083 cm(-1). Both features are consistent with the charge-transfer band and the C[bond]N stretching mode in the Fe(II)[bond]CN[bond]Fe(III) fragment of PB. TEM images of the obtained Prussian blue solution showed discrete spherical electron dense iron particles with an average size of about 5 nm. This represents a new route for preparing metallic nanoparticles that offers control over the size and protection against aggregation. Moreover, the fact that the particles are obtained by reaction of hexacyanoferrate(III) and iron(II) building blocks opens up the possibility of obtaining not only homo- but also heterobimetallic nanoparticles.

Electrocatalytic properties of prussian blue nanoparticles supported on poly(m-aminobenzenesulphonic acid)-functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes towards the detection of dopamine

“…Among other methods, electrochemical deposition [26], chemical deposition [27] and the self-assembling method [23] have been used for PB decoration on electrodes. Agents, such as anionic surfactant sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate [28], sodium hexametaphosphate [29], apoferritin [30], stearylamine [31] or nafion [32] are used to stabilize PB nanoparticles on electrode surfaces [33]. However, some of these binders may result in poor electrical conductivity of the electrode.…”

Mapping bone interstitial fluid movement: Displacement of ferritin tracer during histological processing

“…Ferritin is a spherical molecule, composed of a protein-assembled shell and an iron core. In order to visualize ferritin, samples are placed in Perl's reagent, which dissolves ferritin's protein shell and reacts with the iron core to produce the characteristic Prussian blue utilized to visualize this tracer under light microscopy [4,7]. Perl's reagent is able to dissolve the protein core because it is a very strong acid (pH 0.89).…”

“…Another peculiarity of ferritin reacting with Perl's reagent is that, during the reaction, ferritin molecules are disassembled and then recombined, giving rise to a final molecule with a smaller diameter than the original one [7]. This reduction in diameter might also facilitate the propagation and diffusion of ferritin outside the vascular canal into the dissolving mineralized matrix.…”

Synthesis of Cobalt-Iron Prussian Blue Analogues Nanotubes by CTAB Soft-Template Method

“…In this case, the inherent structures become loose and the crystallization will be difficult. 3 In recent years, there have been quite a few techniques developed for preparing such materials, for example, porous alumina, 4 stearylamine, 5 ionic liquids, 6 mesostructured silica, 7 sodium hexametaphosphate, 8 apoferritin, 9 polyvinylpyrrolidone, 10 sol-gel, 11,12,13 anodic aluminum oxide 14 and microemulsion. 15,16 Although considerable efforts have been put on the syntheses of PBAs materials, relatively few attempts 17 have been on the produce of the tubular Prussian blue analogues, let alone the cobalt-iron PBAs nanotubes.…”