One-Pot Synthesis and Surface Modification of Lauric-Acid-Capped CoFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles

Abstract

This paper presents a facile one-pot method to synthesize monodisperse lauric-acid-capped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs)and investigates their potential application as drug carriers for loading and controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX). The lauric-acid-capped CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs with a particle size of 15.3 ± 1.7 nm were synthesized via one-pot reaction. Water-soluble lauric-acid-capped CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs were obtained through surface modification with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Furthermore, the performance of water-soluble lauric-acid-capped CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs for drug delivery was investigated with DOX hydrochloride. The DOX release percentages of CTAB and SDS modified lauric-acid-capped CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs are 56.1% and 48.2%, respectively. These results indicated that the modified lauric-acid-capped CoFe ₂ O ₄ NPs could be utilized as a promising candidate for cancer chemotherapy by making use of their pH-sensitive drug-release properties.