Characterization and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized under gas atmosphere: Effect of ferrofluid concentration on hyperthermia properties

Magnetic hyperthermia is a promising cancer treatment approach in which magnetic nanoparticles are used, offering unique properties such as higher penetration depth and precise thermal control that make them effective for cancer treatment. In addition, the sensitivity of cancer cells to heat and the role of magnetic nanoparticles are very effective in combined treatments. Here, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles are synthesized using a co-precipitation method under gas atmosphere during the synthesis process. The characteristics and properties of the synthesized nanoparticles are investigated using XRD, FESEM, and VSM analyses. The XRD results confirm the formation of cobalt nanoparticles. FESEM investigations reveal that the nanoparticles have uniform surface morphology and spherical shape. The VSM results show that the CoFe2O4 nanoparticles possess superparamagnetic properties as confirmed by FORC analysis. Under the gas atmosphere, saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity (Hc) of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles are obtained to be 41.5 emu/g and 34.1 Oe, respectively, whereas the nanoparticles synthesized without the gas atmosphere show Ms=33.8 emu/g and Hc=42.3 Oe. The magnetic hyperthermia of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles is measured by preparing concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 mg/ml of the nanoparticles under a magnetic field of 400 Oe and a frequency of 400 kHz. The results show that the highest magnetic hyperthermia is achieved at a concentration of 3 mg/ml, and the SLP value is 190.3 W/g. Overall, these findings suggest that the co-precipitation method is an effective approach for synthesizing biocompatible CoFe2O4 nanoparticles as confirmed by MTT analysis, having desirable properties for various applications, especially for magnetic hyperthermia.