Formation and characterization of zinc oxide complexes in composite hydrogel films for potential wound healing applications

The objective of this investigation is to fabricate hydrogel films comprising sodium carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in the presence of citric acid (CA) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) by solution casting method. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the crystallinity of films decreases and also ZnO crystalline peaks were disappeared with increase in CA concentrations (5-20 wt%). Fourier transform infrared and micro-Raman analysis confirmed the absence of Zn-O vibration. It was found that swelling degree, tensile strength, and initial decomposition temperature of the films decreased with increase in CA. As CA concentration increases, the agglomeration of the NP increases according to field emission scanning electron microscopy and field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM) analysis. FETEM-EDX elemental mapping showed that the NP is composed of C, O, and Zn. The prepared films released zinc and showed significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli MTCC 1610 and Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 6538. The fabricated films exhibited biocompatibility with HaCaT cells. The analysis reports that the prepared hydrogel films may be used for potential wound healing applications.