Improved self heating and optical properties of bifunctional Fe3O4/ZnS nanocomposites for magnetic hyperthermia application

Opto-magnetic Fe3O4/ZnS nanocomposite was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The structural, morphological, optical and magnetic characterizations were performed by XRD, HRTEM, FTIR, PL, UV-Vis and VSM techniques. The existence of both the spinal cubic phase of Fe3O4 and the zinc blende phase of ZnS in the prepared nanocomposite was confirmed by XRD. HRTEM image depicts the formation of the ZnS shell around the Fe3O4 core. FTIR spectra revealed the incorporation of ZnS nanoparticles on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. UV-Vis spectra illustrate the decreasing band gap of the ZnS nanoparticles with the trend of increasing the size of ZnS nanoparticles due to the quantum size effect. PL spectra manifest the red shift in the nanocomposite due to a higher dielectric environment compared to the ZnS nanoparticle. The VSM study signifies the higher coercivity but lower saturation magnetization of the nanocomposite compared to the nanoparticle. The increasing heating efficiency of Fe3O4/ZnS nanocomposite than Fe3O4 nanoparticles was quantified by their respective SAR values which are found to increase in the ranges from 24-52 (w/g) (Fe3O4) to 31-79 (w/g) (Fe3O4/ZnS.) with respective concentrations. The above results speculate that the prepared nanocomposite is a decent candidate for magnetic hyperthermia applications to destroy the tumor and cancer cells.