A study is presented of the molecular dynamics and of the viscosity in pure [Aliquat][Cl] ionic liquid and in a mixture of [Aliquat][Cl] with 1% (v/v) of [Aliquat][FeCl4]. The (1)H spin-lattice relaxation rate, R1, was measured by NMR relaxometry between 8 and 300 MHz. In addition, the translation self-diffusion, D, was measured by pulse field gradient NMR. The ILs' viscosity was measured as a function of an applied magnetic field, B, and it was found that the IL mixture's viscosity decreased with increasing B, whereas the [Aliquat][Cl] viscosity is independent of B. All experimental results were analyzed taking into account the viscosity's magnetic field dependence, assuming a modified Stokes-Einstein diffusion/viscosity relation. The main difference between the relaxation mechanisms responsible for R1 in the two IL systems is related to the additional paramagnetic relaxation contribution associated with the (1)H spins-[FeCl4] paramagnetic moments' interactions. Cross-relaxation cusps in the R1 dispersion, associated with (35)Cl and (1)H nuclear spins in the IL systems, were detected. The R1 model considered was successfully fitted to the experimental results, and it was possible to estimate the value of D at zero field in the case of the IL mixture which was consistent with the values of D measured at 7 and 14.1 T and with the magnetic field dependence estimated from the viscosity measurements. It was observed that a small concentration of [Aliquat][FeCl4] in the [Aliquat][Cl] was enough to produce a "superparamagnetic"-like effect and to change the IL mixture's molecular dynamics and viscosity and to allow for their control with an external magnetic field.

Gum arabic (GA) is a hydrophilic composite polysaccharide derived from exudates of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal trees. It is biocompatible, possesses emulsifying and stabilizing properties and has been explored as coating agent of nanomaterials for biomedical applications, namely magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Previous studies focused on the adsorption of GA onto MNPs produced by co-precipitation methods. In this work, MNPs produced by a thermal decomposition method, known to produce uniform particles with better crystalline properties, were used for the covalent coupling of GA through its free amine groups, which increases the stability of the coating layer. The MNPs were produced by thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)3 in organic solvent and, after ligand-exchange with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), GA coating was achieved by the establishment of a covalent bond between DMSA and GA moieties. Clusters of several magnetic cores entrapped in a shell of GA were obtained, with good colloidal stability and promising magnetic relaxation properties (r2 /r1 ratio of 350). HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cell line was used for in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation and cell-labeling efficiency studies. We show that, upon administration at the respective IC50 , GA coating enhances MNP cellular uptake by 19 times compared to particles bearing only DMSA moieties. Accordingly, in vitro MR images of cells incubated with increasing concentrations of GA-coated MNP present dose-dependent contrast enhancement. The obtained results suggest that the GA magnetic nanosystem could be used as a MRI contrast agent for cell-labeling applications.

CO2 separation from natural gas is considered to be a crucial strategy to mitigate global warming problems, meet product specification, pipeline specs and other application specific requirements. Silica xerogels (SX) are considered to be potential materials for CO2 capture due to their high specific surface area. Thus, a series of silica xerogels functionalized with imidazolium, phosphonium, ammonium and pyridinium-based room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) were synthesized. The synthesized silica xerogels were characterized by NMR, helium pycnometry, DTA-TG, BET, SEM and TEM. CO2 sorption, reusability and CO2/CH4 selectivity were assessed by the pressure-decay technique. Silica xerogels containing IL demonstrated advantages compared to RTILs used as separation solvents in CO2 capture processes including higher CO2 sorption capacity and faster sorption/desorption. Using fluorinated anion for functionalization of silica xerogels leads to a higher affinity for CO2 over CH4. The best performance was obtained by SX- [bmim] [TF2N] (223.4 mg CO2/g mg/g at 298.15 K and 20 bar). Moreover, SX- [bmim] [TF2N] showed higher CO2 sorption capacity as compared to other reported sorbents. CO2 sorption and CO2/CH4 selectivity results were submitted to an analysis of variance and the means compared using Tukey's test (5%).

Deuterium NMR was used to investigate the orientational order in a composite cellulosic formed by liquid crystalline acetoxypropylcellulose (A PC) and demented nematic 4'-penty1-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB-4 alpha d(2)) with the per centage of 85% A PC by weight Three forms of the composite including electro spun microfibers, thin film and bulk samples were analyzed The NMR results initially suggest two distinct scenarios, one whet e the 503-alpha d(2), is confined to small droplets with dimensions smaller than the magnetic coherence length and the other where the 503-alpha d(2) molecules arc aligned with the A PC network chains Polarized optical microscopy (POW from thin film samples along with all the NMR results show the presence of 5CB-alpha d(2) droplets in the composite systems with a nematic wetting layer at the APC-5CB-alpha d(2) interface that experiences and order disorder transition driven by the polymer network N-I transition The characterization of the APC network I-N transition shows a pronounced subcritical behavior within a heterogeneity scenario

Unexpected and unusual reactivity of 2-methylimidazolium salts toward aryl-N-sulfonylimines and aryl aldehydes is here reported. Upon reaction with aryl-N-sulfonylimines, the addition product, arylethyl-2-imidazolium-1-tosylamide (3), is formed with moderate to good yields, while upon reaction with aldehydes, the initial addition product (6) observed in NMR and HPLC–MS experimental analysis is postulated by us as an intermediate to the final conversion to carboxylic acids. Studies in the presence and absence of molecular oxygen allow us to conclude that the imidazolium salts is crucial for the oxidation. A detailed mechanistic study was carried out to provide insights regarding this unexpected reactivity.

{The mechanism of cellulose dissolution in ionic liquid (IL)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent systems has attracted much attention due to the possible replacement of synthetic materials. However, the solvent behaviour is not completely understood. This work has found an explanation for the solvent behaviour in cellulose dissolution, considering the almost unavoidable presence of the water. Ternary {[}C(4)mim] Cl/DMSO/H2O mixtures were studied with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments and molecular dynamics simulations to explore IL/molecular solvents interactions and disclose the water interactions in these complex media. Titration of binary and ternary solvent systems with water and DMSO disclosed a relation between water's proton chemical shift and the molar fraction of the mixture components, creating an unprecedent theory to predict the cellulose solvation ability. A ``working range{''} for IL/DMSO/H2O ratio was observed, tested in cellulose dissolution, and rationalized using cellobiose interaction. Within this solvent ratio, the interactions between components are maximized, being switched on, while out of the range, the interactions are no longer detected. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}

{The Keggin phosphotungstate (PW12) and its zinc derivative (PW11Zn) were tested as oxidative catalysts for desulfurization processes using simulated and real diesels. These compounds were used as homogeneous catalysts, while the corresponding SBA-15 composites were used as heterogeneous catalysts. The comparison of their catalytic performance demonstrated that the zinc-substituted polyoxo-metalate is more efficient than the plenary PW12 structure. Additionally, using the heterogeneous PW11Zn@aptesSBA-15, the sustainability and catalytic efficiency was largely improved, allowing the total sulfur removal from model diesel after 1 h using a small amount of oxidant (H2O2/S = 4) under an oxidative solvent-free system. The desulfurization of real diesels was performed under similar conditions, achieving 87.8% of efficiency using the PW11Zn@aptesSBA-15 catalyst. Furthermore, the catalyst maintained its activity over consecutive desulfurization cycles. The cost-effective operational conditions achieved with PW11Zn@aptesSBA-15 turn this into a promising material to be used in an industrial scale to treat diesel.}

Oleic acid coated iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by thermal decomposition in organic medium are highly monodisperse but at the same time are unsuitable for biological applications. Ligand-exchange reactions are useful to make their surface hydrophilic. However, these could alter some structural and magnetic properties of the modified particles. Here we present a comprehensive study and comparison of the effects of employing either citric acid (CA) or meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) ligand-exchange protocols for phase transfer of monodisperse hydrophobic iron oxide nanoparticles produced by thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)3 in benzyl ether. We show the excellent hydrodynamic size distribution and colloidal stability of the hydrophilic particles obtained by the two protocols and confirm that there is a certain degree of oxidation caused by the ligand-exchange. CA revealed to be more aggressive towards the iron oxide surface than DMSA and greatly reduced the saturation magnetization values and initial susceptibility of the resulting particles compared to the native ones. Besides being milder and more straightforward to perform, the DMSA ligand exchange protocol produces MNP chemically more versatile for further functionalization possibilities. This versatility is shown through the covalent linkage of gum Arabic onto MNP-DMSA using carboxyl and thiol based chemical routes and yielding particles with comparable properties.

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) with different cation alkyl chain ([i-C5mim] or [C4mim]) and inorganic anions ([Cl−], [Tf2N−], [PF6−] and [DCA−]) were synthesized and immobilized in commercial mesoporous silica. The synthesized supported ILs (SILs) were characterized using NMR, FTIR, TGA, BET, SEM and TEM. CO2 sorption capacity, reusability and CO2/N2 selectivity were assessed by the pressure-decay technique. The effects of IL concentration, cation and anion chemical structure in CO2 sorption capacity and CO2/N2 separation performance were evaluated. Tests evidenced that the presence of branching on the cation alkyl side chain increases CO2/N2 selectivity. The immobilization of the IL [i-C5TPIm][Cl] on mesoporous silica in different concentrations (50, 20, 10 and 5 %) revealed that lower IL concentration results in higher CO2 sorption capacity. Immobilization of ILs containing fluorinated anions at low concentrations in the mesoporous silica support may promote the improvement of the CO2/N2 selectivity without interfering on CO2 sorption capacity of the original support. CO2 sorption capacity value shown by sample SIL-5 % - [i-C5TPIm][Tf2N] (79.50 ± 0.70 mg CO2  g-1) was close to the value obtained for the pristine mesoporous silica (81.70 ± 2.20 mg CO2 g-1) and the selectivity (4.30 ± 0.70) was more than twice of the one obtained for the support alone (2.32 ± 0.4). Recycle tests demonstrated that the ILs immobilized in mesoporous silica samples are stable, providing a new option to be used in CO2 capture processes.

The incorporation of europium polyoxometalates into silica nanoparticles can lead to a biocompatible nanomaterial with luminescent properties suitable for applications in biosensors, biological probes, and imaging. Keggin-type europium polyoxometalates Eu(PW11)x (x = 1 and 2) with different europium coordination environments were prepared by using simple methodologies and no expensive reactants. These luminescent compounds were then encapsulated into silica nanoparticles for the first time through the water-in-oil microemulsion methodology with a nonionic surfactant. The europium polyoxometalates and the nanoparticles were characterized by using several techniques [FTIR, FT-Raman, 31P magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR, and TEM/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDS), AFM, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and inductively coupled plasma MS (ICP-MS) analysis]. The stability of the material and the integrity of the europium compounds incorporated were also examined. Furthermore, the photoluminescence properties of the Eu(PW11)x@SiO2 nanomaterials were evaluated and compared with those of the free europium polyoxometalates. The silica surface of the most stable nanoparticles was successfully functionalized with appropriate organosilanes to enable the covalent binding of oligonucleotides.

The subject of ionicity has been extensively discussed in the last decade, due to the importance of understanding the thermodynamic and thermophysical behaviour of ionic liquids. In our previous work, we established that ionic liquids' ionicity could be improved by the dissolution of simple inorganic salts in their milieu. In this work, a comparison between the thermophysical properties of two binary systems of ionic liquid + inorganic salt is presented. The effect of the ammonium thiocyanate salt on the ionicity of two similar ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfonate and ethylsulfate, is investigated in terms of the related thermophysical properties, such as density, viscosity and ionic conductivity in the temperature range 298.15-323.15 K. In addition, spectroscopic (NMR and Raman) and molecular dynamic studies were conducted in order to better understand the interactions that occur at a molecular level. The obtained results reveal that although the two anions of the ionic liquid exhibit similar chemical structures, the presence of one additional oxygen in the ethylsulfate anion has a major impact on the thermophysical properties of the studied systems.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) strategically functionalized were used to immobilize a homogeneous polyoxomolybdate catalyst {[}PMo12O40](3-) (PMo12), active but unstable. The PMo12@TBA-MSN composite (where TBA refers to surface-tethered tributylammonium groups) conferred high stability to the polyoxomolybdate catalytic center and displayed an increase in efficiency for the oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) of a diesel simulant under sustainable conditions (using H2O2 as oxidant and an ionic liquid, {[}BMIM]PF6, as solvent). Continuous reuse of the catalyst and ionic liquid solvent in consecutive ECODS cycles was successfully performed, avoiding the production of residual wastes. The performance of the PMo12@TBA-MSN catalyst improved upon its reuse, leading to complete desulfurization of a multicomponent model diesel containing benzothiophene derivatives after just 1 h of the catalytic stage of the process. The robust nature of the supported catalyst was indicated by characterization of the recovered solid which showed retention of the structural and chemical integrities.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Front. Chem., 14 November 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2019.00756
Mesoporous Silica vs. Organosilica Composites to Desulfurize Diesel
Susana O. Ribeiro1, Carlos M. Granadeiro1, Marta C. Corvo2, João Pires3, José M. Campos-Martin4, Baltazar de Castro1 and Salete S. Balula1*
1LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade Do Porto, Porto, Portugal
2CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
3Faculdade de Ciências, Centro de Química e Bioquímica and CQE, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
4Grupo de Energía y Química Sostenibles (EQS), Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
The monolacunary Keggin-type [PW11O39]7− (PW11) heteropolyanion was immobilized on porous framework of mesoporous silicas, namely SBA-15 and an ethylene-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMOE). The supports were functionalized with a cationic group (N-trimethoxysilypropyl-N, N, N-trimethylammonium, TMA) for the successful anchoring of the anionic polyoxometalate. The PW11@TMA-SBA-15 and PW11@TMA-PMOE composites were evaluated as heterogeneous catalysts in the oxidative desulfurization of a model diesel. The PW11@TMA-SBA-15 catalyst showed a remarkable desulfurization performance by reaching ultra-low sulfur levels (<10 ppm) after only 60 min using either a biphasic extractive and catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) system (1:1 MeCN/diesel) or a solvent-free catalytic oxidative desulfurization (CODS) system. Furthermore, the mesoporous silica composite was able to be recycled for six consecutive cycles without any apparent loss of activity. The promising results have led to the application of the catalyst in the desulfurization of an untreated real diesel supplied by CEPSA (1,335 ppm S) using the biphasic system. The system has proved to be a highly efficient process by reaching desulfurization values higher than 90% for real diesel during three consecutive cycles.

Ionic liquids have been on the spotlight of chemical research field in the last decades. Their physical properties (low vapor pressure, thermal stability, and conductivity) and the possibility of fine tuning make them a versatile class of compounds for a wide range of applications, such as catalysis, energy, and material sciences. Ionic liquids can establish multiple intermolecular interactions with solutes such as electrostatic, van der Waals, or hydrogen bonds. The prospect of designing ionic liquid structures toward specific applications has attracted the attention to these alternative solvents. However, their rational design demands a molecular detailed view, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is a unique and privileged technique for this purpose, as it provides atomic resolution and at the same time enables the study of dynamic information. In this chapter, we provide an overview about the application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy techniques as a methodology for the rational design of ionic liquids as solvents for small organic compounds, CO2 capture, and polymers such as cellulose focusing mainly in the last 10 years.

In this work 2H NMR spectroscopy and 1H NMR relaxometry and diffusometry were used to characterise water order and dynamics in cellulose acetate/silica asymmetric membranes. Two hydrated membranes were characterised allowing the identification of extra ordering of the water molecules and the presence in each membrane of up to two spectral components with different degrees of order and different T1 values. The mechanism behind this order increase was ascribed to the rapid exchange of the water molecules between the pore walls and its interior. T1 relaxometry dispersions allowed for the identification of the relevant mechanisms of pore-confined water motion, with rotations mediated by translational displacements (RMTD) as the dominant mechanism in the low frequency region. Using the RMTD low cut off frequency along with the in situ directly measured diffusion constant it was possible do determine characteristic lengths of correlated water motion in both membranes studied, which fall in ranges compatible with typical pore dimensions in similar membranes.

G-quadruplex (G4) is involved in many biological processes, such as telomere function, gene expression and DNA replication. The selective isolation of G4 using affinity ligands that bind tightly and selectively is a valuable strategy for discovering new G4 binders for the separation of G4 from duplexes or the discrimination of G4 structures. In this work, one affinity chromatographic support was prepared using a naphthalene amine as a G4 binder. The ligand was immobilized on epoxy-activated Sepharose CL-6B using a long spacer arm and was characterized by HR-MAS spectroscopy. The supercoiled (sc) isoform of pVAX1-LacZ and pVAX1-G4 was isolated from a native sample. Also, the recovery and isolation of the plasmid isoforms from Escherichia coli lysate samples were achieved using an ionic gradient with different concentrations of NaCl in 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4). The retention times of different DNA/single strand sequences that can form G4, such as, c-MYC, c-kit1, c-kit2, tetrameric, telomeric (23AG), thrombin aptamer (TBA) and 58Sγ3 in this support were evaluated. Our experimental results suggest that the support exhibits selectivity for parallel c-MYC and c-kit1 G4s. In vitro transcription was performed using purified sc pVAX1-G4 and pPH600 to induce G4 formation and circular dichroism (CD) analysis confirmed that both transcripts adopt a parallel G4 topology.

Extracts from plants have considerable significance as bioactive compounds with several pharmacological applications. Polyphenols have attracted the attention as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative materials. Nonetheless, the amount of these compounds in the extracts is typically very low. Consequently, green extraction techniques with higher efficiency for phenolic compounds are of paramount importance. Ionic liquids (ILs), which are also known as designer solvents can be used to extract polyphenols, however the search for ideal solvents is mostly done by trial and error. In this work, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used to study the profile of ILs molecular interactions with model compounds that mimic polyphenols. The ILs that exhibit the strongest molecular interactions were proven to have the highest efficiency when extracting polyphenols from matcha Japanese green tea, known to be extremely rich in these compounds. Both the IL cation and anion have an influence on the solvent behaviour. The best IL solvents for matcha polyphenols were imidazolium derivatives with shorter alkyl side chains and weakly basic anions such as tricyanomethanide, dicyanamide and triflate. Thus, the NMR approach avoids an exhaustive testing and allows the rational selection of the best ILs for the extraction.

A novel method to prepare silica nano-sized particles incorporating polyoxometalates was developed leading to a new efficient heterogeneous oxidative catalyst. Zinc-substituted polyoxotungstate [PW11Zn(H2O)O39](5-) (PW11Zn) was encapsulated into silica nanoparticles using a cross-linked organic-inorganic core, performed through successive spontaneous reactions in water. The potassium salt of PW11Zn and the composite formed, PW11Zn-APTES@SiO2, were characterized by a myriad of solid-state methods such as FT-IR, FT-Raman, (31)P and (13)C CP/MAS solid-state NMR, elemental analysis and SEM-EDS, confirming the integrity of the PW11Zn structure immobilized in the silica nanoparticles. The new composite has shown to be a versatile catalyst for the oxidation of olefins and also to catalyze the desulfurization of a model oil using H2O2 as the oxidant and acetonitrile as the solvent. The novel composite material was capable of being recycled without significant loss of activity and maintaining its structural stability for consecutive desulfurization and olefin oxidative cycles.

The demand for better cellulose solvents has driven the search for new and improved materials to enable the processing of this polysaccharide. Ionic liquids have been debated for a long time as interesting alternatives, but the molecular details on the solubilization mechanism have been a matter of controversy. Herein, for the first time, the structure and dynamics of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) liquid crystal solutions were probed in the presence of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs), conjugating rheological measurements with magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This study provides a characterization of the solutions macroscopic behaviour, where the liquid crystalline (LC) properties were maintained. Using ILs with different side chain lengths, the influence of the hydrophobic IL domain in the solvation abilities of ILs towards a cellulose derived polymer was accessed, providing experimental evidence on these interactions.

Strategic polyoxometalate Keggin-type structural modification was performed to increase the oxidative catalytic performance to desulfurize model and real diesels. The most active lacunar structure {[}PW11O39](7-) (PW11) showed to complete desulfurize a simulated diesel after 60 min at 70 degrees C. Its application as homogeneous catalyst using a biphasic system 1: 1 diesel/acetonitrile needed to use an excess of oxidant (ratio H2O2/S = 8). The immobilization of the PW11 on amine-functionalized SBA-15 supports originated two heterogeneous catalysts PW11@aptesSBA-15 and PW11@tbaSBA-15. The best results were attained with the PW11@aptesSBA-15 catalyst showing identical oxidative desulfurization performance as the homogeneous analogue. As advantage, this heterogeneous catalyst promotes the complete desulfurization of simulated diesel using a solvent-free system, i.e. without the need of acetonitrile use. On the other hand, the same desulfurization efficiency could be achieved using half the amount of oxidant (H2O2/S = 4). The oxidative desulfurization of the real diesel achieved a remarkable 83.4% of efficiency after just 2 h. The recycling capacity of PW11@aptesSBA-15 catalyst was confirmed for eight consecutive cycles using the biphasic and the solvent-free systems. Its stability investigation demonstrates to be higher under the solvent-free system than the biphasic system, without practically any occurrence of PW11 leaching in the first case. On the other hand, the Venturello peroxocomplex {[}PO4\{W(O-2)(2)\}(4)](3-), recognized as active intermediate in the homogeneous biphasic system, was not identified in the heterogeneous catalytic systems.

Novel material catalysts based in the active zinc-substituted polyoxotungstate ({[}PW11Zn(H2O)(39)](5-), abbreviated as PW11Zn) were efficiently used in the oxidative desulfurization of real and model diesels. These active catalytic center was strategically immobilized in a less hydrophilic periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs), containing ethane-bridge (PMOE) and benzene-bridge (PMOB) walls, functionalized with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (aptes). The efficiency of the novel catalytic composites (PW11Zn@aptesPMOE and PM11Zn@aptesPMOB) was studied under oxidative desulfurization system (CODS) without the presence of an extraction solvent and also using a biphasic (diesel/extraction solvent) oxidative desulfurization system (ECODS). Both composites presented higher desulfurization efficiency under the solvent-free system, reaching ultra-low levels of sulfur compounds after only 1 h and using low ratio of H2O2/S = 4. The catalysts could be recycled without loss of activity for ten consecutive cycles. However, after the first desulfurization cycle complete desulfurization was achieved within only 30 min using PW11Zn@aptesPMOE composite. Also, the structure of PW it Zn@aptesPMOE demonstrated to be more stable than PW11Zn@aptesPMOB, probably due to the occurrence of some PW11Zn leaching from the PMOB surface, probably caused by the lower interaction of PW11Zn with the benzene-bridge PMOB wall. The most robust catalyst PW11Zn@aptesPMOE was used to desulfurize a real diesel achieving 75.9% of desulfurization after 2 h. The catalyst was further recycled with success to treat real diesel.

Fucopol, a fucose-containing exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by the bacterium Enterobacter A47 DSM 23139 using glycerol as a carbon source, was employed as a new coating material for iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The coated particles were assessed as nanoprobes for cell labeling by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The MNPs were synthesized by a thermal decomposition method and transferred to an aqueous medium by a ligand-exchange reaction with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Covalent binding of EPS to DMSA-stabilized nanoparticles (MNP-DMSA) resulted in a hybrid magnetic-biopolymeric nanosystem (MNP-DMSA-EPS) with a hydrodynamic size of 170 nm, a negative surface charge under physiological conditions and transverse to longitudinal relaxivity ratio, r2/r1, of 148. In vitro studies with two human cell lines (colorectal carcinoma - HCT116 - and neural stem/progenitor cells - ReNcell VM) showed that EPS promotes internalization of nanoparticles in both cell lines. In vitro MRI cell phantoms showed a superior performance of MNP-DMSA-EPS in ReNcell VM, for which the iron dose-dependent MRI signal drop was obtained at relatively low iron concentrations (12-20 mug Fe per ml) and short incubation times. Furthermore, ReNcell VM multipotency was not affected by culture in the presence of MNP-DMSA or MNP-DMSA-EPS for 14 days. Our study suggests that Fucopol-coated MNPs represent useful cell labeling nanoprobes for MRI.