Preparation and Characteristics of γ-Fe2O3/Polyaniline-Curcumin Composites

Abstract

Superparamagnetic nanomaterials are showing great prospects in medical treatments with targeting medicines. A new conductive superparamagnetic nanocomposite, γ-Fe2O3/polyaniline-curcumin (γ-Fe2O3/PANI-curcumin), was prepared by using the interaction between an amino group in polyaniline and a ketone group in curcumin. The γ-Fe2O3/PANI-curcumin nanocomposite showed superparamagnetism (30 emu·g−1) and electrochemical activity, based on the results of magnetization curve and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) indicated that the particle size of γ-Fe2O3/PANI-curcumin was between 10 and 50 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the γ-Fe2O3/PANI-curcumin nanocomposite, confirming that curcumin was immobilized into the γ-Fe2O3/PANI chain. This study provided an academic foundation for developing a new material for immobilizing an anticancer drug.

Keywords

• curcumin
• maghemite
• nanocomposites
• polyaniline
• superparamagnetism