Synthesis, characterization and anticancer activity of the green-synthesized hematite nanoparticles

The conventional synthesis of hematite nanoparticles (HNPs) is expensive and creates secondary contaminants. Therefore, to combat these issues, there is a requirement for a cheap, effective, and eco-friendly technique. Herein, HNPs were prepared using the fruit extract of Spondias pinnata - an abundant source available in Western-coastal India. The polyphenolic compounds aided the synthesis process and the entire procedure was very rapid. The obtained HNPs had needle-like morphology with agglomerations due to the magnetic interactions as seen in FESEM and HRTEM images. Fe and O elements were noticed in EDS results. The crystalline nature and crystal phase were confirmed from XRD and SAED patterns. The lattice parameters of HNPs were in tandem with the literature. Fe-O crystalline vibrations were noticed in FTIR studies. VSM results portrayed the superparamagnetic nature of HNPs with a high magnetic saturation value of 8.949 emu/g and a negligible hysteresis loop. Thermal stability was ascertained using TGA results with 32% overall weight loss. XPS studies revealed the existence of pure HNPs with signature peaks. Raman spectrum showed the bands specific for HNPs, comparable to the commercial one. In addition, the HNPs were mesoporous with a high surface area (72.04 m²/g) - higher than the commercial one. The anticancer potential of the HNPs was successfully demonstrated against two mammalian cancer cell lines. Therefore, the HNPs synthesized in this study could be applied in various biomedical fields, especially for anticancer formulations.