Synthesis and Characterization of Ni_(0.5)Zn_(0.5)Fe_2O_4@mSiO_2 Core Shell Nanocarrier for Drug Delivery Applications

摘要

Ni_(0.5)Zn_(0.5)Fe_2O_4@mesoporousSiO_2 (NZF@mSiO_2) core shell nanocarrier was synthesized by sol-gel method using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and characterized for different physicochemical properties. The structural and morphological properties were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) techniques. XRD pattern and TEM micrographs confirm the coexistence of Ni_(0.5)Zn_(0.5)Fe_2O_4 and SiO_2 phases in the nanocomposites. Average crystallite size of Ni_(0.5)Zn_(0.5)Fe_2O_4 NPs was found to be around ～21 nm. Particles size of NZF@mSiO_2 measured by TEM and FESEM are found to be ～200-400 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results confirm successful formation of NZF@mSiO_2 core shell nanocomposites having well symmetric structure and ellipsoidal shape. HRTEM analysis confirmed the presence of pores (5-10 nm) on the surface of SiO_2 nanosphere. Magnetic properties of NZF@mSiO_2 nanocarriers were studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) technique. NZF@mSiO_2 nanocarriers were found to be super-paramagnetic in nature with negligible coercivity and remanent magnetization. The M_s value for NZF@mSiO_2 was found to be 9.5 emu/gm.