Biomineralization-Inspired Green Synthesis of Zinc Phosphate-Based Nanosheets in Gelatin Hydrogel

Diffusion of inorganic salts in gels is a simple, inexpensive, and versatile technique for the synthesis of inorganic/organic hybrid nanocomposite particles with various morphologies. This paper introduces a novel method for producing zinc phosphate (ZP) nanosheets using single diffusion of zinc ions in gelatin at ambient temperature. FTIR spectra showed the entrapment of gelatin in ZP sheets due to electrostatic interactions between charged groups of gelatin and diffused ions. This study demonstrated that hydrogels can be used for crystallization of ZP. Such a nanocomposite particle may open a new window for producing antimicrobial and materials for use in tissue engineering.