Functionalization of Magnetic Titanium Dioxide for Targeted Drug Delivery and UV-induced Release

Magnetic titanium dioxide core-shell nanoparticles（Fe3O4@TiO2 NPs） were synthesized as particles withappropriate size for intravenous injection. They subsequently were functionalized with p-aminothiophenol（PATP） tofacilitate the covalent attachment of target drugs through azo coupling reaction, which can be universally observed ina variety of drugs containing phenols, anilines, and imidazoles. The proposed drug nanocarrier was designed to po-ssess the ability to release drugs upon UV irradiation because of the photocatalytic property of the TiO2 shells. All theresults indicate the potential application of the Fe3O4@TiO2 NPs in targeted drug delivery with greater chemical sta-bility and universality.