Fabrication and comparative study of magnetic Fe and α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles dispersed hybrid polymer (PVA

Incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer matrix allows the development of new features that differs from the pure materials. In this research, magnetic nanoparticles reinforced organic biodegradable polymer matrix based biocompatible nanocomposite films were fabricated. This work covered, synthesis of Iron (Fe) and Iron oxide (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoparticles by chemical reduction and sol-gel method respectively, fabrication of Fe/Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Chitosan and alpha-Fe2O3/PVA/Chitosan nanocomposites by solvent casting method, and evaluation and comparison of their mechanical properties to find the superior biocompatible nanocomposite. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analysis confirmed the size, structure, morphology and formation of Fe and alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Magnetic study showed that, synthesized alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticle possess better magnetic properties than the Fe nanoparticle. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra confirmed the successful interaction of Fe and alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with the polymer matrix. The Iron oxide dispersed (16.67 wt%) nanocomposite alpha-Fe2O3/PVA/Chitosan showed highest tensile strength and elastic modulus that is respectively 45% and 40% higher than the PVA polymer alone. This novel nanocomposite may potentially be useful in various biomedical applications.