Facile synthesis and characterization of MnxZn1-xFe2O4/activated carbon composites for biomedical applications

Abstract

"The synthesis of MnxZn1-xFe2O4 ferrites (x = 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6) by means of the co-precipitation method is reported. Furthermore, a composite of Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4/activated carbon was prepared with the mechanosynthesis method. The magnetic, structural, morphological and chemical properties were analyzed by means of VSM, XRD, SEM, FTIR and Boehm's titration. The heating capacity was evaluated under a magnetic field using solid-state induction heating equipment, in addition a hemolysis test was performed using human red blood cells. With regard to the synthesis of manganese-zinc ferrite, the results indicated that Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 ferrite showed higher saturation magnetization (64.48 emu/g) than the other ferrite obtained, with superparamagnetic behavior. The Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4/activated carbon composite was able to heat in concentrations of 10 mg/ml under a magnetic field (10.2 kAm-1 and frequency 200 kHz), increasing the temperature up to 42.5 °C. The hemolysis test indicated that the presence of activated carbon reduces the hemolytic behavior of the ferrite. Thanks to its heating capacity and non-hemolytic activity, theMn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4/activated carbon composite is a potential candidate for use in biomedical applications."