Preparation and characterization of zirconia nanoparticles infused carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel and their antimicrobial evaluation

Abstract

In this study, the preparation of zirconia (ZrO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) infused carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel films. CMC hydrogel was prepared by adding citric acid (CA) to the CMC solution. The ZrO₂ NPs were synthesized by the sol-gel method and modified using ascorbic acid (AA) and CA. The modified ZrO₂ NPs suspension was incorporated into the CMC hydrogel paste to prepare zirconia-infused CMC hydrogel films (ZCMCH). The prepared ZCMCH was characterized using FTIR, UV-Visible, XRD, and SEM. The stretching vibrations in the wavenumber range of 450-750 cm⁻¹ in FTIR analysis confirmed the successful formation of ZrO₂ NPs. XRD analysis revealed an average crystallite size of 10.80 nm for ZrO₂ NPs, and the diffractogram of ZCMCH exhibited characteristic peaks at 2θ values of approximately 16°, 29°, and 40°, confirming the incorporation of ZrO₂ NPs within the CMC hydrogel matrix. SEM analysis confirmed the proper distribution of ZrO₂ NPs throughout the CMC hydrogel matrix with an average particle diameter of 4.81 μm. Furthermore, the ZCMCH was evaluated for antimicrobial analysis against selected microbial strains, bacteria (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis), and fungus (Candida albicans). The antimicrobial efficacy of the samples was assessed by the agar well diffusion method, showing an inhibition zone of 1.6 cm against bacteria and 1.4 cm against fungus. These findings suggest that the developed ZrO₂ NPs infused CMC hydrogel holds considerable potential for biomedical applications.