In vitro analysis of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle mediated degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their antimicrobial activity.

To degrade anthracene, magnetite nanoparticles were produced using a simple co-precipitation process. The fabricated nanoparticles have been analyzed for structural and optical properties. XRD examination revealed that the produced Fe3O4 nanoparticles were cubic phase, having a mean crystallite dimension of 18.84 nm. DLS determined the hydrodynamic diameter of Fe3O4 nanoparticles to be 182 nm. UV-Vis research revealed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles absorb at 390 nm. A peak at 895 cm-1 in the FT-IR study indicated the metal-oxygen connection. The synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles demonstrated an effective photocatalytic performance towards anthracene degradation and was found to be 86.55%. Furthermore, Fe3O4 nanoparticles showed the highest antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis was 19.43 mm. The present study is the first and foremost study determining the dual role of Fe3O4 nanoparticles towards bioremediation and biomedical applications.