Glucose-derived rGO/Zn0.4Co0.6Fe2O4 superparamagnetic nanohybrid: Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of cytotoxicity

The nanohybrid of reduced graphene oxide/magnetic nanoparticles (rGO/MNP) is one of the most studied nanomaterials in wastewater treatment and biomedical applications due to their complementary physicochemical properties. However, they are still not commercialized due to their inherent toxicity resulted from the usage of toxic precursors in their preparation. Therefore, in the present study, we synthesized glucose-derived rGO/Zn0.4Co0.6Fe2O4 superparamagnetic nanohybrid by a bottom-up hydrothermal method using nontoxic precursors. The formation of the nanohybrid was confirmed through XRD, VSM, UV-Vis, FE-SEM, and XPS characterization techniques. The cytotoxicity of the nanohybrid was assessed by MTT Assay. The nanohybrid has a good saturation magnetization of 29 emu/g and bandgap energy of 3.36 eV. A possible synthesis reaction mechanism is proposed to provide an insight into structural evolution. The present study offers a facile method for the preparation of a biocompatible rGO/MNP nanohybrid that would be useful in wastewater treatment and biomedical applications.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized a biocompatible rGO/MNP nanohybrid useful for wastewater treatment and biomedical applications, with good saturation magnetization and bandgap energy. The nanohybrid was synthesized using a bottom-up hydrothermal method with nontoxic precursors, and confirmed through various characterization techniques.