Synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles, characterization, uses as nanozyme and future prospects

Abstract

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have recently attracted wider attention because of their unique properties, such as superparamagnetism, larger surface area, surface-to-volume ratio and simple manufacturing process. Several chemical, physical and biological techniques have been employed to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) with acceptable surface chemistry. This paper summarizes the approaches for producing IONPs, managing their shape and size and tailoring their properties for bioengineering, pharmaceutical and modern applications. Iron oxides have significant potential in biology, climate change mitigation and horticulture, among several fields. Surface coatings with organic or inorganic particles are one of a kind. The surface coatings of IONPs are critical to their performance because they prevent NP aggregation, reduce the risk of immunogenicity and limit non-specific cellular uptake. Chitosan is a biodegradable polymer that is applied on IONPs to coat them. Chitosan derivatives such as O-(2-hydroxyl)propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (O-HTCC; an ammonium quaternary chitosan derivative) have a long-lasting positive charge that allows them to work in different pH ranges, allowing them to interact with cell layers at physiological pH. By reacting epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride with chitosan, the hydro-solvent HTCC is formed. For hyperthermic treatment of patients, NPs can also be coordinated to an organ, tissue or tumor through an external attractive field. Given the increasing interest in iron NPs, the purpose of this review is to present data on IONPs, particularly chitosan-capped iron NPs, for different biomedical fields.