One-step preparation of hydrophilic carbon nanofiber containing magnetic Ni nanoparticles materials and their application in drug delivery

A one-step process for the synthesis of hydrophilic carbon nanofibers (CNFs) through CO₂ hydrogenation on NiNa/Al₂O₃ was developed for the loading and targeted delivery of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). CNFs that were synthesized on NiNa/Al₂O₃ for 9h at 500°C exhibited an adequate magnetic response and a large content of hydrophilic oxygen-containing functional groups on the carbon surface, resulting in excellent colloidal solution. The CNF material exhibited a highly efficient capacity for DOX adsorption, particularly at pH 9.0. The loading and release of DOX was strongly pH dependent, possibly due to electrostatic and π-π stacking interactions between DOX and CNF sample. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetics of DOX-loaded CNFs were well-modeled for the process of DOX adsorption. DOX-loaded CNF targeted cancer cells more selectively and effectively than free DOX and exhibited a marked tendency to kill HeLa cancer cells and reduced toxicity to normal human primary fibroblast (HPF) cells.