Synthesis and Characterization of Ca2+ and Gd3+ Doped Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles Coated with Chitosan and Polyethylene Glycol

Magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles have been widely employed in various applications, such as medical applications due to their desirable characteristics. Although generally magnetic nanoparticles are appropriate for such employments, their applications are restricted due to their toxic properties. Hence, it is tried to decrease the toxic damages by using a biocompatible coating layer. For this purpose, in the present study, it was tried to synthesize Ca2+ and Gd3+ doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by the sol-gel auto-combustion method and coat them with chitosan and polyethylene glycol polymers. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern along with the Rietveld refinement results confirmed the formation of pure cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with the average crystallite size of 27 nm. Moreover, the results of both thermogravimetry (TGA) test and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the formation of a coated layer of chitosan and polyethylene glycol polymers on the surface of nanoparticles. Magnetic characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles indicated that the formation of the coating layer can affect the magnetic properties, so that the saturation magnetization (Ms) increased from 67.93 to 74.61 emu/g. However, the coercivity (Hc) decreased from 982.86 to 908.13 Oe as a result of the formation of the coating layer.