Photocatalytic performance and cytotoxic activity of green-synthesized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

In this study, cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe2O4 NPs) were prepared using aqueous solution of torajabin followed by calcination at temperatures of 600, 700, and 800 degrees C. Synthesized nanoparticles of size 20-60 nm were characterized using PXRD, UV-Vis, FESEM, EDX, and Raman analysis. VSM analysis affirmed ferrimagnetic behavior. The photocatalytic degradation activity of CoFe2O4 NPs was assessed on Acid Orange 7 (AO7) dye under simulated sunlight exposure where high level of photodegradation was displayed by CF-600 NPs, due to their small particle size. The cytotoxic activity of CoFe2O4 NPs was studied on breast cancer cell (MCF7), colon cancer cell (CaCo2), and mouse embryo fibroblast cell (NIH-3T3) lines using MTT assay; nanoparticles were found to be nontoxic against cancer and normal cell lines. Thus, synthesized CoFe2O4 NPs could be an ideal choice for medical applications like drug delivery, and non-medical usages such as photodegradation of pollutants.