Optimization of manganese (II) carbonate prepared via Ball-Milled PVP/Chitosan blend: Synthesis and physicochemical characterization

Manganese carbonate (MnCO₃) was incorporated into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Chitosan in a ternary nanocomposite via a mechanochemical approach. Various characterization techniques were employed including XRD, FTIR, SEM, and XPS. The MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan nanocomposite showed a synergistic enhancement of its components which resulted in superior mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 15.6 ± 2.2 MPa and a Young's modulus of 2.8 ± 0.4 GPa, compared to those of MnCO₃, MnCO₃/PVP, and MnCO₃/Chitosan alone. Moreover, the MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan composite released Mn⁺² ions for 16 h, with a concentration of 0.38 ± 0.09 ppm. In addition, the combination of PVP and chitosan in MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan demonstrated improved antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus , with Zone of Inhibition (ZOI) values of approximately 18.2 ± 2 mm and 15.6 ± 2.3 mm, respectively. MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan indicated an extremely high cell viability (85.8 % at 2500 μg/mL) in vitro experiments, exhibiting a potential biocompatibility when compared to MnCO₃, MnCO₃/Chitosan, and MnCO₃/PVP. In addition, compared to pure MnCO₃, there was a reduction in MnCO₃ crystallinity (average crystallite size is about 378 nm) and microstrain 0.21, as determined by structural studying by XRD analysis of MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan. Additional information about the morphology of MnCO₃/PVP/Chitosan has been determined by SEM. Because the PVP particles ranged in size from 21 to 43 nm, and because the Chitosan was embedded in a MnCO₃ matrix with a density of 3.79 g/cm³, the composite presented a rod-like morphology. Also, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were employed for elemental and chemical analysis. This study shows that MnCO₃ can strengthen PVP, and Chitosan can improve its properties for use in biomedical applications.