Enhanced Synthesis of Copper Ferrite Magnetic Nanoparticles via Polymer-Assisted Sol-Gel Autocombustion Method for Magnetic Hyperthermia Applications

Abstract

In this study, CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of approximately 10 nm were produced using the sol-gel autocombustion method. The synthesis was conducted in the presence of polymers with varying monomer counts, aiming to optimize the magnetic properties for possible localized magnetic heating applications. Comprehensive characterization of all samples was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Mössbauer spectroscopy. All synthesized samples exhibited good colloidal stability, with zeta potentials around -18.49mV, +3mV and +24 to +30 mV. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the synthesized nanoparticles was assessed using the calorimetric method. The SAR values were calculated using both the Initial Slope and the Box-Lucas methods. For the sample synthesized using citric acid, the SAR values were 12.6 W/g and 13.23 W/g, respectively. For samples synthesized using polyethylene glycol, the SAR values ranged from 3 to 7 W/g. The parameters of the alternating magnetic field were 33.3 kA/m and 357 kHz.