Study of the properties of biocompatible acrylate glass with the addition of copper oxide nanoparticles

The development of new functional materials for additive technologies that combine biocompatibility, a high degree of photopolymerization, and antibacterial activity is a pressing challenge in modern materials science and analytical practice. However, two major problems exist for this class of materials: insufficient polymerization, leading to residual toxicity against human cells, and bacterial invasion during long-term medical applications. The aim of this work is to investigate the properties of a composite material based on polymethyl methacrylate (biocompatible acrylic glass) modified with nanoparticles (copper (II) oxide) synthesized by laser ablation of a metal target in water. A method for transferring the nanoparticles into an organic solvent and uniformly incorporating them into the photopolymer matrix is presented. It is shown that the obtained composites are suitable for MSLA-stereolithography, providing high printing resolution and low surface roughness after polishing. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed a decrease in the intensity of bands corresponding to C=C double bonds, indicating an increase in the degree of monomer conversion upon the introduction of nanoparticles (at a content of 0.1%, the residual monomer decreases severalfold). A pronounced antibacterial effect of the composite against Escherichia coli (growth inhibition and a significant reduction in the proportion of viable cells) was observed, the likely mechanism of which is enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative modification of proteins. At the same time, cytotoxicity studies on human fibroblast cultures showed that the material exhibits high biocompatibility. The obtained results and the developed methodology for the preparation and analytical control of the composite properties can be used in the creation of photopolymer materials with combined optical, technological, and antibacterial characteristics for biomedical and engineering applications.