Preparation of ZnO Nanoparticles Incorporated into Cross-Linked Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) Polymer and Its Biological Application

The development of polymer nanoparticle composites with enhanced thermal and antibacterial properties is essential for next-generation biomedical materials. However, conventional polymers often exhibit limited bioactivity and poor resistance to degradation, restricting their functional applications. The novelty of this study involves the combination of the bio-derived cross-linker 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAF) into poly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA to form a cross-linked network incorporated with various ratios of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), resulting in improved biological and thermal properties. The surface morphologies, material crystallinity, and thermal degradation properties of the synthesized BAF–PMMA/ZnO were investigated using Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Thermogravimetric characterization technique (TGA), respectively. The prepared BAF-PMMA/ZnO nanocomposites showed an enhancement in the crystallinity after increasing the ratio of ZnO NPs compared to the amorphous cross-linked BAF–PMMA polymer. The thermal stability of nanocomposites was significantly enhanced after the introduction of ZnO NPs into cross-linked BAF–PMMA polymer. The resultant nanocomposites BAF–PMMA/ZnO were examined as antibacterial agents against the Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacterial strains. The results showed that most BAF–PMMA/ZnO nanocomposites have antibacterial activity against both bacterial species compared to the pure cross-linked BAF-PMMA polymer. The BAF–PMMA/ZnO 10 wt.% sample shows the highest inhibition zone of (16.3 ± 0.33) against E. coli. These outcomes demonstrate that such nanocomposites offer a viable pathway toward multipurpose biomaterials with exceptional structural and biological features.