Subasa C. Sahoo

Immobilization of invertase on chitosan coated γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles to facilitate magnetic separation.

Industrially important invertase enzyme was immobilized on chitosan coated sol gel derived γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to enable it for repetitive use by magnetic separation. MNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and magnetic measurements. FTIR studies confirmed successful immobilization of invertase on MNPs. The ability to convert sucrose into invert syrup was enhanced in immobilized invertase compared to that of free enzyme. Further it was found that invertase immobilized on MNPs (IIMNPs) were more stable at varying pH and temperature conditions. Magnetic separation technique was successfully employed for reuse of the IIMNPs for 20 times without significant loss of activity.

Nanocrystalline zinc ferrite films studied by magneto-optical spectroscopy

Ferrimagnetic Zn-ferrite (ZnFe2O4) films can be grown with the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth of 40 Oe at 9.5 GHz without going through a high temperature processing. This presents interest for applications. The work deals with laser ablated ZnFe2O4 films deposited at O2 pressure of 0.16 mbar onto fused quartz substrates. The films about 120 nm thick are nanocrystalline and their spontaneous magnetization, 4πMs, depends on the nanograin size, which is controlled by the substrate temperature (Ts). At Ts ≈ 350 °C, where the grain distribution peaks around ∼20–30 nm, the room temperature 4πMs reaches a maximum of ∼2.3 kG. The films were studied by magnetooptical polar Kerr effect (MOKE) spectroscopy at photon energies between 1 and 5 eV. The complementary characteristics were provided by spectral ellipsometry (SE). Both the SE and MOKE spectra confirmed ferrimagnetic ordering. The structural details correspond to those observed in MgFe2O4 and Li0.5Fe2.5O4 spinels. SE experiments confirm the insulator beha...

Magnetic studies of cobalt doped barium hexaferrite nanoparticles prepared by modified sol-gel method

M-type barium hexaferrite (BaFe12O19) and cobalt doped barium hexaferrite (BaFe11CoO19) nanopowders were synthesized by modified sol-gel auto-combustion technique and were annealed at 900°C in air for 4 hours. The annealed powders were studied in the present work and X-ray diffraction studies showed pure phase formation after annealing. The average grain size in the nanopowder sample was decreased after doping. Magnetization value of 60 emu/g was observed at 300K for the barium hexaferrite and was reduced to 54 emu/g after doping. The coercivity of 5586 Oe was observed at 300K for the undoped sample and was found to be decreased in the doped sample. As the measurement temperature was decreased from 300K to 60K, magnetization value was increased in both the samples compared to those at 300K. The coercivity of the undoped sample was found to decrease whereas it was increased for the doped sample at 60K. The observed magnetic properties may be understood on the basis of modified exchange interaction and anis...

Magnetic studies of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles prepared by co-precipitation method

Cu-ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method and were annealed at different temperatures ranging from 400 to l000°C in air for 4 hours. The as-prepared sample and the sample annealed at 400°C showed small peaks of cubic Cu-ferrite in X-ray diffraction studies. For the intermediate temperature 600°C, some additional peaks of α-Fe2O3 were observed. As the annealing temperature increased further only tetragonal Cu-ferrite peaks were observed. In all the samples some traces of CuO was noted. Grain size was increased from 2lnm for the as prepared sample to 42nm for the sample annealed at l000°C. Spontaneous magnetization value was found to be very small for the as prepared sample and it was increased monotonically with the increase in annealing temperature. Maximum magnetization of 29.7emu/g was observed at 300K for the sample annealed at l000°C. The remanent magnetization was increased with the increase in annealing temperature up to 900°C and then decreased whereas for the coercivity ...

Monolayer grafting of aminosilane on magnetic nanoparticles: An efficient approach for targeted drug delivery system

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with higher magnetization are highly desirable for targeted drug delivery (TDD) systems, as it helps accumulation of drug at the target site. However, functionalization of MNPs for drug binding reduces the magnetization which affects the efficacy of TDD. Herein we report direct functionalization of MNPs with (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) which preserves the magnetization. Grafting density estimated by TGA and BET analysis showed monolayer grafting of APTES on MNP surface. MNPs were comprehensively characterized by XRD, HR-TEM, SQUID-VSM and FTIR. Anti-cancerous drug telmisartan (TEL) was loaded on monolayer APTES grafted MNPs. In-vitro controlled drug release and cytotoxicity study on PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line of TEL conjugated MNPs are also discussed. This functionalization strategy can be extended to other biomedical applications where higher magnetization is desired.

Functionalization of Magnetic Hollow Spheres With (3-Aminopropyl)Triethoxysilane for Controlled Drug Release

Direct functionalization strategy has been employed to modify the surface of the magnetic hollow spheres (MHS) with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) for controlled drug release. The MHS were prepared by the solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The FE-SEM study shows that MHS have a size of ~200 nm and are made up of smaller nanoparticles (NPs) having average size of ~20–25 nm. MHS exhibits a superparamagnetic behavior with a saturation magnetization of 74 emu/g at room temperature. The direct functionalization of MHS with APTES provided an efficient loading of model anti-cancer drug Camptothecin (CPT). The drug release study performed at pH of 7.4 showed 30% of CPT release in a controlled way after 4 h.

Magnetic and FMR Study on CoFe

CoFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 bilayers were deposited by the pulsed laser deposition on amorphous fused quartz substrate at substrate temperature of 350°C and in oxygen pressure of 0.16 mbar. The films were studied after ex-situ annealing for 2 h in air at various temperatures up to 650°C. The magnetic properties of the bilayers were studied at 300 K and at 10 K. Ferromagnetic resonance was carried out at x-band frequencies at room temperature. It was found that as a result of annealing, the diffusion between Co ferrite and Zn ferrite starts around 350°C and leads to a large line width system having magnetization, which remains undetected by Ferromagnetic resonance.