Investigation on Effect of 3-Trimethoxysilyl Propyl Methacrylate based Nano-ZnO/CTF Nanocomposite Hydrogel- Synthesis and Characterization

A groundbreaking method has been developed for the preparation of CTF (citric acid, triethanolamine, and 2-furoic acid) hydrogel that promises significant advancements in material science. By reacting CTF hydrogel with nano-zinc oxide and 3-trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate to create a nanocomposite. The hydrogel’s properties, meticulously monitored through swelling behavior assessment (a broad pH range from 2.0 to 11.0), strikingly, the swelling percentage was highest in a neutral medium (pH 7.0), outperforming both alkaline and acidic environments. This innovative approach paves the way for swelling behavior of the synthesized hydrogel. The results of swelling equilibrium significantly improve with ascending concentrations of both nano ZnO and TMP respectively. The synthesized CTF- nano ZnO-TMP nanocomposite hydrogels have been characterized using various analytical techniques like UV, FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, SEM-EDX which confirms the presence of 3-trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate (TMP) and nano-zinc oxide in the CTF network. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has also been carried out for the present investigation. The outcome of thermal studies reveals that CTF-Nano-Zn-TMP nanocomposite hydrogels found to have thermally stable to 400 0 C. Hence, the compounds of present investigation may be utilized for high performance applications.