Unveiling the photosensitive and magnetic properties of amorphous iron nanoparticles with its application towards decontamination of water and cancer treatment

Amorphous iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs) possess manifold applications in biomedical field owing to their unique physiochemical properties. Herein, a feasible green synthesis of Fe NPs is described employing choline chloride (ChCl) and sucrose (SR) based deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a stabilizing as well as capping agent. Stabilized Fe NPs were attained using precursors like ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O) and ferrous chloride tetrahydrate (FeCl2.4H2O) via co-precipitation method with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a reducing agent. UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) demonstrated characteristic broad absorption around 400–600 nm which illustrates the emergence of nanoparticles. Micrographs of the prepared material examined by electron microscopies (SEM, TEM), depicts spherical with size ranging from 80 to 180 nm. This was further reinforced with dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Low magnetization value demonstrated the superparamagnetic behaviour of the amorphous Iron nanoparticles which is notable for biomedical applications such as magnetic hyperthermia and localized drug delivery. Additionally; the characterized Fe NPs degrades rhodamine B (Rh B), a carcinogenic dye upto 96.06% within 30 min under UV light illumination, thus evidencing its usage by scientific community as suitable nanomaterial for dye removal from contaminated water samples. Antibacterial studies of the amorphous Fe NPs showed maximum zone of inhibition and activity index against waterborne pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli. The obtained results showed that the Fe NPs are capable of inhibiting the growth of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, cytotoxic effects of amorphous Fe NPs against HCT 116 and CCL 241 cancer cells exhibit dose dependent antiproliferation. The results proved that the amorphous Fe NPs can endure as a potential entrant for waste water management and treatment of cancer.