Synthesis, Characterization and Biocompatibility of Potassium Ferrite Nanoparticles

In the present study, morphology, size distribution, structure, biocompatibility and magnetic properties of potassium ferrite nanoparticles (KFeO2 NPs), synthesized by conventional sol-gel method have been reported. The formation of spherical nanoparticles with orthorhombic structure has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The particle size, as obtained by transmission electron microscopy has been found to be in the range of 4-7 nm. Further, the size distribution has been scrutinized using Analyse-it software, where a platykurtic feature in the size distribution was observed. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis showed the formation of metal (Fe, K) bonds at Neel temperature of 337 °C. Vibrating sample magnetometer analysis revealed the superparamagnetic behaviour of the synthesized KFeO2 NPs, with saturation magnetization of 25.72 emu/g. In vitro cytotoxicity test, using MTT assay, on T cell lines (Jurkat cells) showed that KFeO2 NPs are biocompatible at a particle concentration of 100 μg/ml.