Abstract
The synthesis of magnetic nano-sized spinel ferrites has become an important area of research, due to their several potential applications. In this work, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Structural, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of cobalt ferrites were analyzed based on their chemical composition considering their biological properties. Structural and morphological properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. Lattice parameters and cell volumes were calculated from XRD data. SEM images revealed uniform surface morphology and spherical shape of nanoparticles. Magnetization measurements were measured by using Lake Shore 7304 model Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). In hemolytic activity tests, formation of a precipitate with a characteristic black color provided an explicit evidence to the formation of heme–iron complexes. Undesirable hemolytic effect of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles on human erythrocytes at both concentrations was attributed to the comparatively high amount of reactive oxygen species formed by CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The theoretical concentration Co (theory) obtained by second-order model (0.82 mg/L) fit with the experimental value of Co (experimental) (0.95 mg/L) well in photocatalytic activity tests.
Highlights
In recent years, nano-sized metal oxide particles have been widely investigated due to their huge contact area between materials, good mechanical and electrical properties arising from the adjustment of dimensions.Especially, nano-sized iron oxides have gained extreme attention due to their unique material properties such as high surface/volume ratio, excellent photostability and high quantum yield [1]
The crystallite size of the CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was calculated from the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the most intense peak (113) using the Debye–Scherrer equation: D = 0.9λ/βcosθB
Hemolysis percentages lower than 5% are regarded as safe by International Standards Organization [33]. For both lower and higher concentrations of CoFe2O4, nanoparticles showed an undesirable hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes. This may be attributed to the comparatively high amount of reactive oxygen species formed by CoFe2O4 nanoparticles shown in photocatalytic activity tests (Fig. 8)
Summary
Nano-sized metal oxide particles have been widely investigated due to their huge contact area between materials, good mechanical and electrical properties arising from the adjustment of dimensions. Nano-sized iron oxides have gained extreme attention due to their unique material properties such as high surface/volume ratio, excellent photostability and high quantum yield [1]. They become very popular in the fiels of optics, electronics, chemical sensors, bio-imaging applications and medicine. Improved mechanical hardness and stability of CoFe2O4 under physiological conditions and tunable superparamagnetic behavior by changing particle size [13] make these nano materials a tough competitor over other magnetic materials such as traditional iron oxides, Fe3O4 and Fe2O3. We were concerned about the photo-degradation mechanism of crystal violet by CoFe2O4 nanoparticles which has not been studied sufficiently
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