Functionalization of magnetic titanium dioxide for targeted drug delivery and UV-induced release

Magnetic titanium dioxide core-shell nanoparticles(Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 NPs) were synthesized as particles with appropriate size for intravenous injection. They subsequently were functionalized with p -aminothiophenol(PATP) to facilitate the covalent attachment of target drugs through azo coupling reaction, which can be universally observed in a variety of drugs containing phenols, anilines, and imidazoles. The proposed drug nanocarrier was designed to possess the ability to release drugs upon UV irradiation because of the photocatalytic property of the TiO 2 shells. All the results indicate the potential application of the Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 NPs in targeted drug delivery with greater chemical sta-bility and universality.