Zirconia-based magneto plasmonic nanocomposites: a new nanotool for magnetic guided separations with SERS identification.

ABSTRACT: In the field of nanomaterials, multifunctional nanosystems play a prominent role in many applications as new magnetically recoverable catalysts, information processing, fuel cells, efficient bio/nano-sensors and nanomedicine. Aiming at the obtainment of new nanomaterials for biotechnological applications such as biosensors or theragnostic systems, we present a multi-functional system able to merge different properties in only one nanotool. The system is prepared loading the pores of mesoporous zirconia nanoparticles with CoFe2O4, by wet impregnation method, further modifying the surface of the material with bis-phosphonic acids to load gold nanoparticles, produced by laser ablation. The obtained nanocomposite functionalized with a SERS probe represents a specific example of a magneto-plasmonic nano-system. The results show the efficacy of the strategy of exploiting mesoporous zirconia nanoparticles for obtaining magneto-plasmonic nanotools.