In this study, a kind of novel surface-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles was fabricated by the Fe3O4 nanoparticles surface modification with mono-6-deoxy-6-(p-tolylsulfonyl)-cyclodextrin (6-TsO-beta-CD), which were employed to interact with uric acid and their behavior was investigated by electrochemical methods. The architecture has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which confirmed that cyclodextrins have been effectively functionalized on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The analyses of vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) verified that the nanoparticles owned good magnetic property. The grafted beta-cyclodextrin on the Fe3O4 nanoparticles contributed to as a modified electrode for detecting uric acid with cyclic voltammograms. Electrochemical results revealed that the new materials could exhibit excellent molecules recognition ability and show high electrochemical response. The new nanoparticles simultaneously had unique properties of magnetic nanoparticles and cyclodextrins through combining their individual distinct advantages. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.