Synthesis, Characterization and Potential Drug Delivery Applications of Polymer-Coated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer-Targeted Therapy

This study developed a chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite system (CH/PVA) incorporated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) and conjugated with folic acid (FA) for targeted drug delivery applications. The synthesized materials CH/PVA, CH/PVA/ZnO, and CH/PVA/ZnO-FA were thoroughly characterized using multiple analytical techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the folic acid-conjugated sample (CH/PVA/ZnO-FA) exhibited a distinct bead-like morphology, suggesting enhanced drug-loading capacity and therapeutic potential. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed the elemental compositions (Zn, O, Mg, Na, C and Ca), showing prominent zinc signals (48.0 wt %) in CH/PVA/ZnO-FA, indicating successful nanoparticle incorporation and FA conjugation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated high crystallinity, with a strong diffraction peak at 28.5° corresponding to the (002) plane, reflecting optimal atomic packing density. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) shows functional groups of the samples including hydroxyl (-OH) and amine (-NH) stretching vibrations at 3440 cm⁻¹, confirming increase in hydrogen bond within the polymer matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed excellent thermal stability up to 350°C, suitable for biomedical applications. These comprehensive characterization results demonstrate that the CH/PVA/ZnO-FA nanocomposite possesses ideal structural, chemical, and thermal properties for use as an advanced nanocarrier system in targeted cancer therapy applications.