A Preliminary Study on Silica/Zinc Ferrite Nanocomposite as Drug Delivery Agent

Silica/zinc ferrite nanocomposite was prepared using the coprecipitation method to be applied as a candidate for drug delivery agents. The success of nanocomposite synthesis was evidenced by the presence of an amorphous silica phase and zinc ferrite phase in the X-ray diffraction pattern. In addition, in the FTIR characterization, the main functional groups, Si-O, Si-O-Fe, and Zn-O, were detected. Based on SEM characterization, the morphology of silica/zinc ferrite nanocomposite tended to form in a spherical shape with an average particle size of 38.2 nm. The magnetic character of silica/zinc ferrite nanocomposite was evaluated by characterization using VSM, showing a superparamagnetic curve with saturation magnetization of 3.5 emu/g. The drug loading performance showed an absorption peak at a wavelength of 251 nm, confirming the presence of doxorubicin as a drug. Furthermore, the effectiveness of silica/zinc ferrite nanocomposite in drug release was demonstrated by controlled drug release starting at 45 minutes with total release at 160 minutes.