Sonosynthesis and characterization of konjac gum/xanthan gum supported ironoxide nanoparticles

In this study, an optimized method was developed for the synthesis of biological macromolecule blend supported iron oxide nanoparticles (IO NPs). The nanostructure was composed of binary polymer blends of konjac gum (KG) and xanthan gum (XG). The synthesized KG/[email protected] NPs were characterized by SEM, EDX, HRTEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS, zeta potential, DLS, TGA, and DSC. According to results, the KG/[email protected] NPs had a spherical shape with an average diameter range of ~40 nm using Scherrer's equation and Williamson-Hall equation. The results of TGA and DSC analysis confirmed that the KG/[email protected] NPs maintained good thermal stability. Our motivation was to determine the effect of the biopolymer blend matrix on the morphology, size, stability, and thermal properties of the green KG/[email protected] NPs. Furthermore, the effects of sonication process time (10–30 min), mass ratio of biological macromolecule blend (KG/XG) (1:1, 1:2, and 1:4), and amplitude frequency (5%–40%) on the rheological parameters of NPs were investigated to optimize the sonochemical process. From optimization analysis, we concluded that the sonication had a role in the size distribution and the formation of nanoparticles with the optimum mixture ratio of binary biopolymer matrix as it provided long-term stability.