Facile synthesis of hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres and their application as drug delivery carrier and anode for lithium-ion batteries

Multi-functional materials that can be used in a variety of different applications have attracted significant research interest. Herein, we report a facile method for preparing hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres with good magnetic properties and substantial surface areas. The as-prepared hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres can be used as drug carriers. The chemotherapeutic agent oxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was used to study the controlled release behavior of the hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres. The drug release curves showed a high DOX loading efficiency and pH-dependent drug release. Less DOX was released at pH 7.4 compared to pH 6.2 due to the protonation of DOX in acidic environments, implying stable release rates. Furthermore, using Fe3O4 as an anode in lithium-ion batteries delivers a reversible capacity of 631 mAh g(-1) at 2 A g(-1), which can be attributed to the specific structure of the hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres. Hence, this study provides a novel nano platform based on magnetic targeting and new pH-responsive drug delivery system for cancer treatment.