Preparation and characterization of water-soluble iron-sulfur cluster nanoparticles

Water-sotube iron-sulfur cluster nanoparticles were synthesized by using tri-sodium citrate as a stabilizer. The effect of factors such as the amount of reactants, the type of reactants, pH value, dripping order was studied on the formation of iron-sulfur cluster nanoparticles. The structure, photo- and electro- chemical performance were characterized by UV-Vis, Raman, TEM, ED, EDS and Cyclic Voltammetry were used to characterize the structure and properties. The UV-Vis peaks at 436, 532 and 636 mu are attributed to the characteristic peaks of [4Fe-4S](+) and [2Fe-2S](2+). The Raman results indicate that citrate anions have been adsorbed on the surface of iron-sulfur cluster nanoparticles. TEM linage shows the particles are about 5 nm, and EDS result further proves that iron-sulfur cluster coated by tri-sodium citrate has been obtained. Cyclic Voltammetry result demonstrates that iron-sulfur cluster has similar electrochemical property to that in organism.