Mesoporous silica-magnetite nanocomposite: facile synthesis route for application in hyperthermia

The synthesis of nanostructured magnetic materials has been intensively researched because of their large field of applications as magnetic carriers in drug targeting, hyperthermia in tumor treatment, among others. Much effort has been invested in magnetic nanoparticles for bioapplications. However, as these nanoparticles present high specific surface area, unprotected nanoparticles can easily form aggregates and react with oxygen in the air. They can also rapidly biodegrade when directly exposed to biological systems. In this context, we have explored the possibility of synthesizing a mesoporous SiO₂–Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite and its AC magnetic-field-induced heating properties. The magnetite nanocomposite was obtained by impregnation of an iron precursor into a silica framework. The proposed method involves the preparation of an iron oxide precursor in ethanol and the subsequent impregnation of SBA-15 mesoporous hexagonal silica. Iron oxide was formed inside the porous structure, thus producing the magnetic device. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N₂ adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Measurements of AC magnetic-field-induced heating properties of the obtained nanocomposite, both of the solid form and in aqueous solution, under different applied magnetic fields showed that it is suitable as a hyperthermia agent for biological applications.