Impact of ZnO nanoparticles on Mn 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 @C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposites as antibacterial agents and drug loading materials

A series of Mn0.5Fe2.5O4@C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using the hydrothermal method with different ZnO masses. The novelty of this study was the obtained Mn0.5Fe2.5O4@C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposite as a good candidate as an antibacterial agent and drug delivery material. The IR spectra showed that the samples were successfully formed. The vibrations of Fe–O and Mn–O were detected at 678.94–563.21cm−1, and that of Zn–O was located at 933.55–867.97cm−1. Meanwhile, the XRD pattern showed that the samples have two crystal phases, i.e. magnetite and ZnO. The nanostructure of the samples was studied by SAXS, showing that the Mn0.5Fe2.5O4@C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposite formed clustering particles that were structured by secondary and primary particles. The secondary particles in the samples contained about 3–4 primary particles. The magnetic properties were characterized using VSM, showing that the samples have superparamagnetic behavior. The increase in ZnO mass affected the saturation magnetization value. The highest saturation magnetization value was approximately 8.66 emu/g for the sample with the smallest ZnO mass. The samples contained Fe2+, Fe3+, and ZnO2+ ions, which created oxidative stress that damaged the DNA cells of bacteria, as seen from the results of the antibacterial activity test. In addition, it was found that the Mn0.5Fe2.5O4@C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposite has another potential as a drug loader material. As the ZnO mass increased, the drug loading efficiency also increased up to 75%. Thus, the prepared Mn0.5Fe2.5O4@C/ZnO-DOX nanocomposites have potential as antibacterial agents and drug loading materials.