We have synthesized r-GO-ATA-Fe2O3 nanocomposites and studied their microstructural and electromagnetic properties for future possible magnetic resonance imaging for biomedical application. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy were used to study the structural and electronic properties, while a superconducting quantum interface device magnetometer was used for investigating the magnetic behavior of the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites have been found to reduce the graphitic structure of GO due to the substitution of carbon/oxygen and/or iron nanoparticles. Conversely, the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites is found to be high due to the formation of Fe—C/Fe—O bonds in the structure of the nanocomposites. The composites also exhibit superparamagnetic features as observed from the M-H hysteresis loop with saturation magnetization of ≈0.1 emu/g at 1.8 K temperature. The results, in general, suggest possible applicability of r-GO/Fe2O3 nanocomposites as an effective multifunctional platform for magnetic resonance imaging in biomedical applications.
