Synthesis of a novel biocompatible nanocomposite of graphene oxide and magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery

The combination of imaging and delivery systems through nanoscale material have been used to create new nanoparticle formulations for biological applications. Here, a magnetic nanocomposite consisting of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), graphene oxide (GO), chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as biocompatible polymers was synthesized for applying in drug delivery and imaging agent. The nanocomposite was studied by various techniques including XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, FT-IR and VSM. SPIONs had an average diameter size about 10 nm and showed superparamagnetic behavior. Also, TEM and SEM images showed that these nanoparticles successfully attached on the surface of GO sheets. Finally, 5-fu was loaded onto these nanocomposite particles in order to study of entrapment efficiency and drug release behavior of nanocomposite particles. They showed high drug entrapment efficiency and more and faster drug release in acidic pH. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.