{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T10:30:09Z","timestamp":1766053809210,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766016000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nanomaterials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are commonly produced through wet-chemical methods that require high temperature and pressure and involve multiple synthesis steps. Our research group has developed an innovative, sustainable, and patented one-step aqueous synthesis operating at ambient temperature and pressure, enabling the direct production of SPIONs in suspension. In this work, we investigated the extension of this method to obtain polymer-coated SPIONs for biomedical imaging applications. Two water-soluble and biocompatible polymers\u2014poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)\u2014were selected and prepared into twelve samples varying in polymer concentration and iron precursor molarity. Each formulation was characterized and compared to bare SPIONs synthesized with the same approach using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM). The results confirm that the one-step method yields polymer-coated nanoparticles with a cubic spinel magnetite core. PEG produced spherical, monodisperse particles (10\u201330 nm) exhibiting superparamagnetic behavior but lower magnetization values (1\u20135 emu\/g). In contrast, PVA-coated nanoparticles showed a morphology dependent on polymer concentration and reagent molarity, while maintaining an average size of ~10 nm and superparamagnetic behavior, with magnetization comparable to bare SPIONs (25\u201350 emu\/g). A preliminary MRI evaluation of a selected PVA-coated sample revealed relaxivity values of r1 = 0.12 mM\u22121 s\u22121 and r2 = 6.44 mM\u22121 s\u22121, supporting the potential of this synthesis route for imaging-oriented nanomaterials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nano15241902","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T09:15:21Z","timestamp":1766049321000},"page":"1902","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["One-Step Ambient-Condition Synthesis of PEG- and PVA-Coated SPIONs: Morphological, Magnetic, and MRI Performance Assessment"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Laura","family":"Turilli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3228-7785","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angelo","family":"Galante","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"},{"name":"National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"},{"name":"CNR-SPIN, c\/o Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Franco","family":"D\u2019Orazio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0769-2030","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"Daniele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4760-1308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuliana","family":"Taglieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L\u2019Aquila, 67100 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"272","DOI":"10.1080\/17435390.2024.2349304","article-title":"Recent Trends and Advancement in Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for the Degradation of Dyes: Synthesis, Mechanism, Types and Its Application","volume":"18","author":"Ewe","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nanotoxicology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16038","DOI":"10.1007\/s10853-024-10153-1","article-title":"A Review of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles Applications and Regulatory Aspects in Medicine and Environmental Areas","volume":"59","author":"Losito","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. 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