PRODUCTION OF MAGHEMITE NANOPARTICLES VIA NAOH PRECIPITATION FOR BIOMEDICAL IMPLEMENTATIONS

Abstract

Maghemite nanoparticles have shown potential as low-cost biomagnetic materials in various biomedical applications. In this study, the compatibility of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a precipitation agent for the synthesis of maghemite nanoparticles using co-precipitation method was investigated. Different concentrations of NaOH were used as the precipitation agent and the resulting maghemite powder was characterized using x-ray diffractometer (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The synthesized maghemite nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic properties with an acceptable range of saturation magnetization and negligible coercivity value. Biocompatibility tests with V79-4 cells also showed that the nanoparticles were safe at different dosages. The use of NaOH as a precipitation agent was found to be a suitable alternative to ammonia due to its less harmful nature and easy handling. The co-precipitation method used in this study was simple and cost-effective for producing maghemite nanoparticles in high yield. The potential applications for these maghemite nanoparticles include drug delivery, immunoassay, cancer theranostics, and wastewater treatment, among others. Overall, the results suggest that using NaOH as a precipitation agent to synthesize maghemite nanoparticles can be beneficial for biomedical applications.