Green‐synthesis of Ni‐Co nanoferrites using aloe vera extract: Structural, optical, magnetic, and antimicrobial studies

• Published in: Applied organometallic chemistry Vol. 37; no. 7
• Main Authors: Dhanda, Neetu, Thakur, Preeti, Kumar, Rakesh, Fatima, Tazeen, Hameed, Saif, Slimani, Yassine, Sun, An‐Cheng Aidan, Thakur, Atul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Absorbance; Aloe; aloe vera; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial agents; Candida albicans; Chemistry; cobalt ferrite; Cobalt ferrites; Crystallites; Diffraction patterns; Fourier transforms; Fungi; Magnetic properties; Magnetometers; Nanoparticles; Nickel; nickel ferrite; Spectrum analysis; Structural analysis; Vibration analysis; Vibration mode; XRD
• ISSN: 0268-2605; 1099-0739
• DOI: 10.1002/aoc.7110

Nickel‐doped cobalt nanoferrites (NixCo1‐xFe2O4, where x = 0.0 to 1.0 with step size 0.2) were prepared using the auto combustion method in which aloe vera extract was taken as a fuel. Further, characterization for antimicrobial, structural, optical, and magnetic studies was performed for the prepared ferrite nanoparticles. Antimicrobial activity was assessed against a prevalent human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the spinel cubic phase with an average crystallite size of 28 nm. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the stretching mode of vibration at the tetrahedral and the octahedral sites. Further, the analysis of magnetic properties was done using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and the magnetic parameters, specific magnetization (67.69 emu/g) as well as squareness ratio σR/σS (0.47) were observed. From the UV–Visible absorbance spectra, the absorbance band edge was observed between 700 and 800 nm, and band gap values were observed at 2.84 eV for x = 1.0. Furthermore, the antimicrobial studies of the obtained ferrite nanoparticles were inspected against the C. albicans fungi, and it was observed that nickel‐doped cobalt ferrite shows an inhibitory nature. Maximum inhibition of 0.43 (67% growth) was observed for the composition x = 1.0. Therefore, these ferrite nanoparticles can be used as a drug against fungus infection. The Ni‐Co ferrite nanoarticles were synthesized using a green synthesis process using aloe vera extract, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the cubic spinel phase with 28 nm average crystallite size. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of vibrational modes at tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) shows the ferromagnetic behavior of nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization (67.69 emu/g) and high coercivity (2.16 kOe). The antimicrobial studies show the antibacterial nature against the Candida albicans cells, and maximum inhibition was shown by nickel ferrite with 0.43 optical density.