SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CITRIC ACID-STABILIZED IRON OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) have emerged as a versatile class of nanomaterials with promising biomedical applications, particularly in targeted drug delivery, imaging, and diagnostics. This study reports the synthesis of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles via a chemical coprecipitation method, stabilized with citric acid to prevent aggregation and improve colloidal stability. The synthesized nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results confirmed the successful synthesis of uniformly sized, spherical iron oxide nanoparticles with high crystallinity and surface stability. This foundational work sets the stage for the incorporation of these MNPs in advanced biomedical systems, including targeted drug delivery.