"Pulling" Nanoparticles into Water: Phase Transfer of Oleic Acid Stabilized Monodisperse Nanoparticles into Aqueous Solutions of α-Cyclodextrin

This paper describes a general method to drastically improve the dispersity of oleic acid stabilized nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. We use oleic acid stabilized monodisperse nanoparticles of iron oxides and silver as model systems, and have modified the surface properties of these nanoparticles through the formation of an inclusion complex between surface-bound surfactant molecules and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD). After the modification, the nanoparticles of both iron oxide and Ag can transfer from hydrophobic solvents, such as hexane, to α-CD aqueous phase. The efficiency of the phase transfer to the aqueous solutions depends on the initial α-CD concentration. The α-CD/oleic acid complex stabilized nanoparticles can be stable for long periods of time in aqueous phase under ambient atmospheric conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and colorimetric methods have been used in the characterization of these nanoparticles.