Porous magnetite secondary particles prepared by surfactant-free solvothermal method with non-contact heat-assisted drug releasing property

•Porous Fe3O4 secondary particles were prepared by surfactant-free solvothermal method.•AC Magnetic Field (ACMF) was applied to Fe3O4 secondary particles and its temperature increased to 43.9 °C.•Drug delivery ability was confirmed by investigating the release of ibuprofen.•The drug release from ibuprofen-loaded Fe3O4 secondary particles was controlled by the applied ACMF.

Porous magnetite (Fe3O4) secondary particles were prepared by a surfactant-free solvothermal method of up to 4 h. Fe3O4 secondary particles prepared for 3 h were about 300 nm in average diameter, composed of aggregated primary particles, and had a porous structure. Potential application of the Fe3O4 secondary particles as a drug delivery agent was evaluated by estimating their release of property. The amount of ibuprofen released was increased when an alternating current magnetic field (ACMF, 120 kHz and 7.8 kA/m) was applied to the prepared magnetite clusters in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution. Moreover, as-prepared samples dispersed in water well and exhibited quick magnetic separation with the help of an external magnetic field from a magnet.

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