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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
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Stable Aqueous Suspensions of Manganese Ferrite Clusters with Tunable Nanoscale Dimension and Composition
Published on: February 5, 2022
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Structural and Magnetic Characterization, Biomedical Applications, and Hyperfine Interactions of Quaternary
Suhailah S Aljameel1,2, Abdulhadi Baykal3,4, Munirah Abdullah Almessiere5,6
1Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia.
ACS Omega
|December 1, 2025
Summary
This study synthesized nano spinel ferrites (NSFs) with varying cations, revealing tunable magnetic properties and significant anticancer and antimicrobial activities. CoNiZnCu NSFs showed the highest anticancer efficacy against breast cancer cells.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Solid State Chemistry
Background:
- Spinel ferrites are versatile magnetic materials with applications in various technologies.
- Tailoring cation composition in nano spinel ferrites (NSFs) is crucial for optimizing their magnetic and functional properties.
- Understanding the influence of doping and temperature on magnetic ordering is essential for material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize five distinct nano spinel ferrites (NSFs) with varying Co, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Cu compositions.
- To investigate the magnetic properties of these NSFs at room temperature and 10 K.
- To evaluate the potential biomedical applications of these NSFs, including anticancer and antimicrobial activities.
Main Methods:
- Sol-gel auto combustion route for synthesizing NSFs.
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy for structural and compositional analysis.
- Mössbauer spectroscopy to determine cation distribution and electronic properties.
- Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM) to measure magnetic parameters (Ms, Mr, Hc) at 300 K and 10 K.
- MTT assay and DAPI staining for evaluating cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HEK-293 cells.
- Broth dilution method to assess antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans.
Main Results:
- Cubic crystalline nanoproducts with crystallite sizes between 15-26 nm were confirmed.
- Zn2+ ions were found to occupy A sites, increasing s-electron density of Fe3+ ions.
- CoNiMnCu NSFs exhibited high magnetic hardness and anisotropy, while NiMnZnCu NSFs showed soft magnetic behavior.
- Significant enhancement of magnetic ordering and anisotropy was observed at 10 K for all samples.
- CoNiZnCu NSFs demonstrated the highest anticancer activity against MCF-7 cells (57.95% viability) and induced apoptosis.
- NSFs showed selective cytotoxicity towards cancer cells over normal cells.
- Most NSFs exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis, and CoMnZnCu NSFs showed notable antifungal activity against C. albicans.
Conclusions:
- Cation engineering and temperature significantly influence the magnetic properties of nano spinel ferrites.
- The synthesized NSFs possess promising tunable magnetic properties for applications in permanent magnets, sensors, and magnetic devices.
- CoNiZnCu NSFs exhibit significant potential for biomedical applications due to their potent anticancer and selective cytotoxic effects.
- The NSFs demonstrate selective antimicrobial efficacy, suggesting potential for developing novel antimicrobial agents.
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