Synthesis of magnetic α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres for sustained release of ibuprofen

A soft template method is reported for fabrication of porous α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres of size 32 ± 2 nm. A new triblock copolymer micelle poly(styrene-b–acrylic acid-b–ethylene oxide) with core–shell–corona architecture has been used as soft template. The hollow nanospheres were thoroughly characterized by transmission electron microscope, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption analyses, dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The efficiency of magnetic hollow nanospheres as drug-delivery carriers was investigated using ibuprofen as a model drug.

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► Core–shell–corona micelle was used for α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres synthesis.
► The carboxylate groups in the shell play crucial role during the synthesis.
► SQUID analysis confirmed superparamagnetic nature of Fe3O4.
► Magnetic hollow particles show sustained ibuprofen release behavior.