Synthesis and Characterization of Glycerol Citrate Polymer and Yttrium Oxide Nanoparticles as a Potential Antibacterial Material

The synthesis of a new hybrid polymer derived from glycerol citrate polymer (GCP) and yttrium oxide nanoparticles was performed without catalyst and using an equimolar concentration. The biocompatibility and antimicrobial capacity of citrate-based polymers suggest it to be involved in biomedical applications since citric acid is a natural molecule. Glycerol citrate polymer and yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by autocatalytic polymerization and sol-gel methods respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), antibacterial effect and cell viability assay were performed to characterize the material. The cubic crystalline Y2O3 nanoparticles dispersed in glycerol citrate polymer could be the cause of the increased antibacterial effect presented in the pure glycerol citrate polymer; supporting the potential of the hybrid polymer as a biotechnological material. The cytotoxicity was evaluated trough human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell.