Materials Chemistry and Physics 295 (2023) 127089 Available online 24 November 2022 0254-0584/© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Structural, mechanical and biological properties of PMMA-ZrO 2 nanocomposites for denture applications Savita Kumari a , Ajaz Hussain a , Jitendra Rao b , Kalpana Singh b , Sarvesh Kumar Avinashi a , Chandkiram Gautam a, * a Department of Physics, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, 226007, Uttar Pradesh, India b Department of Prosthodontics, Department of Biochemistry, King George Medical University, Shah Mina Road, Chowk, Lucknow, 226003, Uttar Pradesh, India HIGHLIGHTS G R A P H I C A L ABSTRACT • Synthesis of zirconia reinforced denture based resin nanocomposites via heat cure method. • Zirconia reinforcement enhanced the mechanical properties signifcantly. • Good cell viability confrms the biocompatibility of the nanocomposite. • Nanocomposite can be used for the fabrication of dentures. A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: ZrO 2 nanoparticles Denture base acrylic resins Surface morphology Mechanical properties Cell viability ABSTRACT The heat cure method was used for the synthesis of zirconia reinforced resin base nanocomposites in the system [(100-x)(C 5 O 2 H 8 ) n +(x)ZrO 2 ] (x = 0, 1, 5, 10 and 15 wt%). The detailed study of prepared pyrax polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and its nanocomposites (PMMA-ZrO 2 ) were characterized using numerous techniques such as XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, SEM with EDAX, particle size analyzer, and universal testing machine (UTM). The bandgap energy, urbach energy, and skin depth (cut-off wavelength and cut-off energy) of the PMMA and PMMA-ZrO 2 have been evaluated and lies in the range of 5.43 ± 0.01–5.39 ± 0.01 eV, 34.5 ± 0.07–27.1 ± 0.05 meV, 220 nm and 5.66 eV respectively. Mechanical performances have been carried out using several parameters such as compressive strength, compressive strain, Young’s modulus, fracture toughness, and breaking length. The 5 wt % of ZrO 2 in PMMA (i.e. RZ5) shows the maximum compressive strength, 76.6 MPa, Young’s modulus, 0.59 ± 0.006 GPa, and fracture toughness of the order of 6.58 MPa-m 1/2 . To check the biocompatibility of the PMMA and its composites, the MTT assay was also carried out and found to be good cell viability at 530 nm for the composite RZ5. Therefore, the lower and the upper part of the fnal base-denture are nicely fabricated using investigated (RZ5) composite. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: gautam_ceramic@yahoo.com (C. Gautam). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Chemistry and Physics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matchemphys https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2022.127089 Received 21 September 2022; Received in revised form 21 November 2022; Accepted 22 November 2022