Synthesis and Characterization of CoZnFe2O4 Ferrite Nanoparticles by Co-precipitation Method for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Recently, there have been notable advancements in exploring the potential application of ferrite nanoparticles for anticancer therapy. These nanoparticles demonstrate the capability to impede the proliferation and induce the suppression of cancer cells. In this study, nanoparticles of CoZnFe2O4 were synthesized via the co-precipitation method. NaOH and Polyethylene glycol (PEG)were employed to alter pH and cover produced ferrite nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the crystalline phases, and the sample has a cubic spinel ferrite structure where Spinel ferrites have a cubic structure with chemical formula MFe2O4 where M is a divalent metal ion such as Co2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Cu2+. To evaluate particle sizes using Scherrer's formula average crystallite sizes were (15nm). Two absorption bands appeared in the 400–1000 cm-1 range in both sample S1 and sample S2, according to the FT-IR study results, revealing that the uncoated cobalt ferrite with PEG and coated ferrite nanoparticles with PEG have a spinel phase structure this means that only the surface is coated with the polymer without changing the structure of the ferrites. The FE-SEM images revealed spherical nanoparticles with homogeneous morphology distribution. According to the existing magnetization versus applied magnetic field curves, the observed behavior indicates soft magnetic properties. The saturated magnetization type is attributed to the superparamagnetic behavior of ferrite nanoparticles. Additionally, the anti-cancer potential of the produced cobalt zinc ferrite nanoparticles was evaluated using both a normal cell line (RD) and the breast cancer model MCF7. The MCF7 cells treated with the ferrite nanoparticle exhibited growth and viability inhibition as well as induction of apoptosis, according to the results.