Biocompatibility and superparamagnetism in novel silica/CaFe2O4 nanocomposite

Calcium ferrite nanoparticles (CaFe2O4 NPs) have been successfully passivated by silica coating. The particle size distribution was observed in the narrow range of 3-6 nm, without any agglomeration, suggesting the stabilization of high surface energy and magnetic interaction on the nanoparticles׳ surface, due to silica. Presence of amorphous silica resulted in less peak intensities of the orthorhombic CaFe2O4 core. The characteristic IR bands of silica confirmed its coating thereby making the nanocomposite viable for bio-conjugation (active silanol groups in the silica layer covalently attach to bio-molecules). The nanocomposite exhibited superparamagnetic behavior (Ms=8.55 emu/g) and high biocompatibility below 500 µg/ml. The nanosized, superparamagnetic and highly biocompatible synthesized nanocomposite finds potential applications in biomedicinal hybrids.