Preparation and Characterization of Magnetic and Porous Metal-Ceramic Nanocomposites from a Zeolite Precursor and Their Application for DNA Separation

In this work, metal-ceramic nanocomposites were obtained through short (up to 2 h) thermal treatments at relatively moderate temperatures (750–800 °C) under a reducing atmosphere, using Fe-exchanged zeolite A as the precursor. The as-obtained materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, N2 adsorption at –196 °C, and highresolution transmission electron microscopy. The results of these analyses showed that the nanocomposites consisted of a dispersion of metallic Fe nanoparticles within a porous ceramic matrix, mainly based on amorphous silica and alumina. These nanocomposites were magnetically characterized, and their magnetic response was studied. Finally, the obtained metal-ceramic nanocomposite materials were used in the separation of Escherichia coli DNA from a crude cell lysate. The results of the DNA separation experiments showed that the obtained materials could perform this type of separation.