Preparation of a new Fe3O4/starch-g-polyester nanocomposite hydrogel and a study on swelling and drug delivery properties

A new Fe3O4/starch-g-poly(ethylene phthalate) hydrogel nanocomposite was prepared using poly(ethylene phthalate) grafted onto starch as a biopolymer. The nanocomposite was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, DLS and SEM. FT-IR spectra proved that polyester had been grafted onto starch in a copolymerization reaction. XRD spectra confirmed the synthesis of the nanocomposite and the average size of the particles. SEM observations showed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles have been uniformly dispersed in a polymeric matrix. Swelling and drug delivery properties of Fe3O4/starch-g-poly(ethylene phthalate) nanocomposite were studied. It was confirmed that Fe3O4/starch-g-polyester nanocomposite with 0.01 M concentrations of FeCl2 and 0.005 M of FeCl3 is the most appropriate for swelling and the composite without Fe3O4 nanoparticles is optimum for drug delivery.