A novel occurrence of polymorphic self-assembled zinc oxide nanoparticles encapsulated by sodium alginate and pectin

Abstract

Polymorphic nanoparticles are very appealing today as they can be used in various environments and healthcare applications. The encapsulation of sodium alginate and pectin resulted in polymorphic self-assembled zinc oxide nanoparticles. This study investigates the properties of polymorphic zinc oxide nanoparticles that self-assemble. As indicated by UV–vis spectroscopy, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) exhibit peak absorption spectrums at 352 nm, sodium alginate nanoparticles encapsulated in sodium alginate (SA-ZnO NPs) exhibit 348 nm and 432 nm, and pectin nanoparticles encapsulated in zinc oxide nanoparticles (PET-ZnO NPs) exhibit 205 nm and 264 nm. We confirmed the crystal structures of ZnO nanoparticles, SA-ZnO nanoparticles, and PET-ZnO nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction (XRD). All these nanoparticles exhibited infrared stretching vibrations when subjected to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The spherical shape of ZnO nanoparticles, the cabbage-like morphology of SA-ZnO nanoparticles, and the flower-like morphology of PET-ZnO nanoparticles were all revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using DLS, we found that nanoparticles ranged from 180 to 600 nm in size, indicating excellent stability in the zeta potential. A gradual weight loss was observed as the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of ZnO nanoparticles, SA-ZnO nanoparticles, and PET-ZnO nanoparticles varied in temperature. These findings might reveal insights into biofunctionalization, which could help in the delivery of targeted drugs and the development of biomedical applications. Research in this area will most likely advance nanoplatforms for biomedical applications, increasing treatment options and diagnostic capabilities.