Free radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of MW assisted sol-gel synthesized honey mediated zirconia

Demand of zirconia based bone implant substitutes is increasing day after day as it creates a pathogen free environment along with healing and osseointegration. A big problem associated with zirconia is its stability as its biocompatibility and mechanical properties alter from stabilized tetragonal zirconia to monoclinic leading towards the poor cosmesis. Present work’s aim is preparation of stabilized zirconia by employing microwave (MW) assisted sol–gel technique. Honey is used to prevent particles from hard agglomeration that acted as capping agent. Effect of microwave powers on zirconia stabilization is observed in the range of 100–1000 W. Low microwave values of 100 and 200 W lead to formation of pure phase of t-ZrO 2 . High hardness value (~1510 HV) is observed at 100 W with fracture toughness ~28.80 MPam −1/2 . Binding energy values of Zr3d 3/2 and Zr3d 5/2 are observed at 185.33 eV and 183.92 eV, respectively. Vibrating sample magnetometer results show the superparamagnetic behavior for optimized sample which is well suited for biological applications. Pure phase zirconia prepared using 100 W microwave power shows relatively higher value of dielectric constant (~73) and low tangent loss. Biodegradation studies show smaller values of weight loss even after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) after 26 weeks. Antibacterial activity shows highest zone of inhibition (~33 mm) against E.coli bacteria. Honey mediated zirconia shows high anti-oxidant activity. Thus, honey mediated zirconia can be successfully employed for bone implants. Synthesis of zirconia is done by means of microwave powers. ZrOCl 2 .8H 2 O and de-ionized water were used as starters. Afterwards, honey was added that acted as capping agent. Obtained sol was further dried in microwave reactor by varying microwave powers. These obtained samples can be used as bone implant as they can inhibit the growth of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cure inflammations and have tendency to protect bone from further bacterial attacks and damages.