Facile synthesis of Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4/carbon nanocomposite for hyperthermia and drug delivery applications

Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 nanopowders as heating agents could be used for hyperthermia due to their magnetic characteristics. However, due to the lack of suitable surface properties, magnetic ferrites do not have proper drug absorption capacity and sometimes show cytotoxicity. These concerns limit their application in medical use. A simple one-step method to synthesize the Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 /carbon nanocomposite is an effective strategy to solve these issues. Metal salts and citric acids were dissolved in water and heated till combustion was taken place. In this procedure, the synthesis of magnetic material and carbonization occurred simultaneously. The results showed that Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles were uniformly engulfed into carbon produced by a self-propagating combustion method. Magnetic properties of Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4/C nanocomposite showed the ferrimagnetic characteristics with the saturation magnetization of about 54 emu/g. The specific loss power (SLP) values of the samples heat-treated at 100 and 400 degrees C were 14 and 42 W/g, respectively. The produced samples were loaded with cephalexin. The cephalexin-loaded Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4/C nanocomposite demonstrated controlled drug release, efficient antibacterial characteristics against Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, and significant hyperthermia ability. Therefore, the synthesized nanocomposites might open up a way for efficient hyperthermia and drug release applications and have a prospective use in medical science.

Automated summary

Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4/C nanocomposite with magnetic properties and drug absorption capacity shows controlled drug release, efficient antibacterial characteristics, and significant hyperthermal ability.