Gamma irradiation synthesis and in vitro drug release studies of ZnO/PVA hydrogel nanocomposites

In the present work, the synthesis of ZnO/PVA hydrogel nanocomposites was carried out using the gamma irradiation technique. The ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation method and dispersed in the PVA solution. To prepare the ZnO/PVA hydrogel nanocomposites, the mixture was exposed to gamma irradiation dose of 25 kGy. The formation of ZnO nanoparticles in PVA matrix was confirmed using the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and the UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (UV). The surface morphology of the hydrogels was studied using the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The swelling ratio and equilibrium degree of swelling (% EDS) were evaluated and there was drastic reduction in swelling and % EDS with the addition of ZnO nanoparticles to the PVA mixture. The l-ascorbic acid was loaded to the hydrogels and the release data was monitored by the absorption wavelength at 252 nm using UV. The drug release data was fit