Patent ID: 8785623

Claim:
A method for forming magnetic nanoparticle cellulose material comprising the steps of: a. providing cellulose material in a solution, b. adding the cellulose material from step (a) to a solution of metal ions, c. precipitating metal hydroxide/oxide complexes formed in the solution from step (b) spreading/distributing the precipitated complexes on the cellulose material, d. adding the precipitated metal hydroxide/oxide complexes to an alkaline solution converting the hydroxide/oxide complexes to magnetic nanoparticles, and e. freeze-drying or solvent exchanging the material from step (d) to preserve agglomerate free and evenly distributed magnetic nanoparticles physically attached on the cellulose material thereby forming the magnetic nanoparticle cellulose material, wherein the magnetic nanoparticle cellulose material comprises a network of cellulose nanofibres and any collection of nanoparticles with a particle to particle inter-distance of ≦5 nm is composed of less than 20 nanoparticles.