Functionalized superparamagnetic particles were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate onto the surface of modified Fe3O4/SiOX nanoparticles. The obtained particles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Candida rugosa lipase was covalently immobilized on the magnetic particles in mild condition via covalent binding with a higher activity recovery. The resulting immobilized lipase had better resistance to pH and temperature inactivation in comparison to free lipase, the adaptive pH and temperature ranges of lipase were widened, and it exhibited good thermal stability and reusability. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.