Investigation on the uptake and release ability of β-cyclodextrin functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles by methylene blue

β-cyclodextrin functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (β-CD-MNPs) having a core–shell structure were fabricated with a layer-by-layer method by combining 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane coated magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (AP-MNPs) with 6-O-toluenesulfonyl-β-cyclodextrin (6-TsO-β-CD) at 70 °C. The characterization by transmission electron microscopy revealed β-CD-MNPs having an average diameter of 12 ± 2 nm and an average hydrodynamic diameter of 56.8 nm in aqueous solution by dynamic light scattering. The β-CD grafting was confirmed by Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy, and the amount of β-CD grafted on MNPs was determined as 60 mg/g by thermogravimetric analysis. The uptake and release ability of β-CD-MNPs was investigated using methylene blue (MB) as a biological staining dye by spectrophotometric method. The results showed that the uptake and release were greatly influenced by the pH value of dye solution, with a maximum loading capacity of 78.4 mg/g under pH = 8 at 25 °C, and the release was easily achieved at 73% within the first hour at physiological condition. The adsorption isotherms were examined by Langmuir and Freundlich models, and the satisfactory fitting to the Langmuir model suggested the adsorption on β-CD-MNPs as a mono-layer coverage. - Highlights: • Investigation of uptake and release of methylene blue by β-CD-MNPs. • Superparamagnetic property of β-CD-MNPs nanoparticles. • Targeted delivery with the assistance of external magnetic field. • Nanomaterials with coupled advantages of amphiphilic structure and superparamagnetism.