Study of AC magnetic heating characteristics of Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia therapy

• The novelty of our work is that the CZF nanoparticles are synthesized by a simple and cost effective co-precipitation technique.
• Effect of AC magnetic field and nanoparticles concentration on magnetic characteristics of CZF nanoparticles was studied.
• The reported high SAR of CZF nanoparticles is an additional advantage for the hyperthermia application.

Structural, magnetic properties and an alternating current (AC) magnetic heating characteristics of Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles (CZF NPs) have been investigated with respect to the possible application for magnetic hyperthermia treatments. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) was measured in alternating magnetic fields of 167.5–335.2 Oe at fixed frequency of 265 kHz. CZF NPs were fabricated by the chemical co-precipitation method using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as the precipitating agent. The morphology of the particles was analysed by Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM reveals that the grains are nearly spherical in shape with average particles size of 19 nm. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated the sole existence of cubic spinel phase of CZF NPs. The magnetization (Ms) of CZF NPs was measured at room temperature (300 K) using a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The magnetic heating ability of NPs was studied with an induction heating system. A highest SAR value of 114.98 W/g for 5 mg/mL sample concentration (265 kHz, 335.2 Oe) was determined.