Tailoring the Microstructural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of MgFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles Capped Polyethylene Glycol Through a Bio-Inspired Method

Ferrite materials have found applications in numerous areas, chiefly for hyperthermia in cancer therapy, targeted drug delivery and photodegradation. In this work, magnesium ferrite nanoparticles (MgFNPs) were formulated using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a capping agent to tailor the properties and heighten the biocompatibility for suitable biomedical applications. The characterization results clearly showed the effect of PEG tailoring the properties of the formulated MgFNPs. A crystallite size with a value between 16 and 91 nm was determined from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed particles of spherical shape for all the samples and the particle size was enhanced as the concentration of PEG increased. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) showed a ferromagnetic nature for the samples with reduced saturation magnetization as the concentration of PEG was increased. The PEG concentration heightened the properties of the sample and can be highly optimized for suitable biomedical applications.