Preparation of poly(AAm-co-HEMA)/ZnO nanocomposites via in situ polymerization/hydrothermal method and determination of their properties

In this study, nanocomposites of acrylamide (AAm) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-based hydrogel containing ZnO nanoparticles in different ratios by mass (1, 3, and 5%) were synthesized using in situ polymerization/hydrothermal method. It was determined that the hydrogel contained 60% HEMA in the copolymer composition calculated with the help of 1 H-NMR. Characterization of materials was carried out by SEM, BET, FTIR, UV–Vis, TGA, and XRD techniques. The Ea and Tg value and thermal stability of the pure poly(AAm-co-HEMA) hydrogel were increased by adding ZnO. The water absorption capacity of nanocomposites was determined by swelling experiments. As the amount of ZnO in the composites increased, the degree of swelling decreased. Biological activities of poly(AAm-co-HEMA) and nanocomposites against gram-positive ( S. aureus ) and gram-negative ( E. coli ) bacteria increased as the amount of ZnO increased. Finally, The dielectric properties of the poly(AAm-co-HEMA) and nanocomposites were investigated as a function of frequency at 25 °C temperature in the frequency range of 1–200 kHz.