Fabrication of HAp/Zn-ferrite nanocomposite for drug delivery application.

The aim of this study was to fabricate an HAp/Zn-ferrite nanocomposite for drug delivery application. The HAp/Zn-ferrite nanocomposite was synthesized using the coprecipitation method. The nanocomposite obtained was then characterized using XRD, SEM, and FTIR. Meanwhile, the drug delivery performance of the synthesized nanocomposite was characterized with UV-Vis to determine the loading and releasing capabilities. The result of XRD data analysis showed that the HAp phase had a crystallite size of 10.0 nm with a hexagonal crystal system. The presence of a Zn-ferrite was detected with a cubic spinel system with a crystallite size of 13.4 nm. The results of the FTIR analysis showed that the presence of the HAp phase was indicated by the presence of PO₄^3-, CO₃^2- and O-H groups. Meanwhile, the Zn-ferrite phase was indicated by Fe-O and Zn-O vibrations. The surfactant element was detected by the vibrations of CH₂, COO⁻, C-C, and O-H groups. Based on the SEM image, it was known that the aggregated particle size was 60 nm with spherical morphology in the form of granular. The result of the UV-Vis data analysis showed that the nanocomposite had the ability to load doxorubicin with a capacity of 27.61 mg/g and the ability to release doxorubicin, which was relatively stable, reaching 79.15% in 300 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]