Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) exploits the heat-generating potential of magnetic NPs (MNPs), especially manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4), when exposed to an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The induction heating ability of these MNPs largely relies on size, distribution, and shape, which in turn are related to the choice of synthesis method. In this context, cost effective and large-scale combustion synthesis of MnFe2O4 has been carried out utilizing different fuels such as citric acid, glycine and urea, to study the effect of different fuels on structural, magnetic properties, and heating efficiency of MNPs. X-ray diffraction study confirms the formation of single phase cubic spinel lattice with crystallite size of 7.76 ± 3.4 to 17.26 ± 5.2 nm. Saturation magnetization (Ms) values obtained from the vibrating sample magnetometer are found to be 27.5 emu/g, 18.5 emu/g, and 25.3 emu/g for citric acid, glycine, and urea, respectively. High resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) results confirm the formation of smaller particles with size of 8.5 ± 2.29 nm and 10.3 ± 5.7 nm for urea and citric acid. Specific power absorption property of MNPs is found to be 890 ± 10.2 W/g, which can be attributed to the smallest particle size and maximum Ms value in the case of samples prepared using citric acid. Further antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) studies have been carried out to analyse its biomedical application potential.
