Silver ferrite and cobalt ferrite dispersed castor oil polyurethane nanocomposites: Quenching studies of bovine serum albumin

The use of renewable resource is a strategic opportunity to meet growing demands of eco-friendly materials. The present study reports the synthesis of castor-oil-based polyurethane (COPU), and its nanocomposites with CoFe₂O₄ and AgFeO₂ via sonication technique. Formation of the nanocomposite was confirmed by IR analysis while UV–visible studies revealed encapsulation of the ferrite particles by COPU. The interaction between COPU, AgFeO₂, CoFe₂O₄, and their nanocomposites with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was also investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy which revealed static quenching of BSA through complex formation. The quenching rate for COPU was determined to be 1.98?×?10⁴?LM^?1 while for pure CoFe₂O₄ and AgFeO₂, it was found to be 3?×?10⁴?LM^?1 and 3.2?×?10⁴?LM^?1, respectively. The interaction of BSA particularly with silver and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles within COPU matrix was found to be promising. It was found that by controlling the loading of ferrite in COPU matrix, desired binding could be achieved.