Synthesis of Multifunctional Clustered Nano-Fe_3O_4 Chitosan Nanocomposite for Biomedical Applications

摘要

Clustered iron oxide nanoparticles covered with chitosan hydrogel (FeO_x/Ch NC) have multiple potential functionalities in biomedical applications such as pH-controlled drug release, magnetic hyperthermia, and magnetic noncontact pH sensing. In the present study, the synthesis and characterization of FeO_x/Ch NC are demonstrated. Moreover, the heating capability of the nanocomposites is also explored for the potential magnetic hyperthermia application by measuring the temperature curves under different AC frequencies (900 kHz to 2500 kHz). Monodispersed FeO_x NPs are first synthesized via thermal decomposition. Then, dried FeOx NPs are combined with chitosan using a homogenizer to form the clustered composites. Synthesized composites are then characterized using XRD, TEM, and FTIR. Temperature curves are measured via a custom-built hyperthermia setup. Results show successful synthesis of clustered Fe_3O_4-chitosan nanocomposite with XRD peaks corresponding to magnetite (Fe_3O_4) structure. FTIR results show the presence of functional groups of chitosan (N-H, C-O) and FeOx NPs (Fe-O). These confirms the successful fabrication of FeOx/Ch NC. The temperature curves show maximum temperature changes of about 2°C to 22°C depending on the AC frequency. The heating rate is found to increase with the frequency, which suggests that the resonance frequency is higher than 2500 kHz.