One-step preparation, characterization, and anticancer potential of ZnFe₂O₄/RGO nanocomposites

Zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZnFe₂O₄ NPs) have attracted extensive attention for their diverse applications including sensing, waste-water treatment, and biomedicine. The novelty of the present work is the fabrication of ZnFe₂O₄/RGO NCs by using a one-step hydrothermal process to assess the influence of RGO doping on the physicochemical properties and anticancer efficacy of ZnFe₂O₄ NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray(EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were employed to characterize prepared pure ZnFe₂O₄ NPs and ZnFe₂O₄/ RGO NCs. XRD results showed that the synthesized samples have high crystallinity. Furthermore, the average crystal sizes of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and ZnFe₂O₄/RGO nanocomposites (NCs) were 51.08 nm and 54.36 nm, respectively. SEM images revealed that pure ZnFe₂O₄ NPs were spherical in shape with uniformly loaded on the surface of the RGO nanosheet. XPS and EDX analysis confirmed the elemental compositions of ZnFe₂O₄/RGO NCs. Elemental mapping of SEM shows that the elemental compositions (Zn, Fe, O, and C) were homogeneously distributed in ZnFe₂O₄/RGO NCs. The intensity of FT-IR spectra depicted that pure ZnFe₂O₄ NPs were successfully anchored into the RGO nanosheet. An optical study suggested that the band gap energy of ZnFe₂O₄/RGO NCs (1.61 eV) was lower than that of pure ZnFe₂O₄ NPs (1.96 eV). PL spectra indicated that the recombination rate of the ZnFe₂O₄/ RGO NCs was lower than ZnFe₂O₄ NPs. MTT assay was used to evaluate the anticancer performance of ZnFe₂O₄ /RGO NCs and pure ZnFe₂O₄NPs against human cancer cells. In vitro study indicates that ZnFe₂O₄ /RGO NCs have higher anticancer activity against human breast (MCF-7) and lung (A549) cancer cells as compared to pure form ZnFe₂O₄ NPs. This work suggests that RGO doping enhances the anticancer activity of ZnFe₂O₄NPs by tuning its optical behavior. This study warrants future research on potential therapeutic applications of these types of nanocomposites.