Space-confined pyrolysis for fabrication of peacods-like Fe₃O₄@C-Ni nanostructures for catalysis and protein adsorption

A unique nanostructure of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs)-in/carbon layer/out-Ni NPs was developed and proved to be an efficient catalyst and protein adsorbent. This kind of nanostructure was formed through a space-confined pyrolysis procedure using polydopamine-Ni²⁺ coated Fe-NTA nanowires as the precursor. A N-doped carbon interlayer derived from polydopamine (PDA) supported a large amount of Ni NPs and entrapped well-defined Fe₃O₄ NPs, which were obtained through reduction of Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺ by carbonized NTA groups and a PDA layer. The contributions of the unique configuration along with the high density of Ni NPs in Fe₃O₄@C-Ni are significant for improving catalysis and protein adsorption performance, which is expected to be a promising alternative to other conventional catalysts and protein adsorbents. Due to the unique novel nanostructure, this nanocomposite possesses a wide range of applications, not only for catalytic reactions but also for other inhomogeneous reactions.