ABSTRACT
Due to the wide variety of properties, such as different nanostructures, and unique semiconducting, optical, piezoelectric, antibacterial, and biocompatible properties, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have been investigated for various applications. They are widely used in cosmetics (sunscreens, toothpaste), fillings, and drug carriers in medical materials, textiles, building materials (wall paints), and other products. In biomedical applications, ZnO nanomaterials are used for molecular diagnostics, targeted delivery of drugs and genes, biosensing, etc. Moreover, ZnO nanoparticles are included in the compositions of some cosmetics, which protect the skin from burns and cancerogenic action of UV radiation. The development of ZnO nanomaterials will continue to grow in the next years, and the researchers need to exert extensive efforts to develop biocompatible ZnO nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Their antimicrobial efficacy due to the large surface area to volume ratio has offered them an advantage over their chemical counterparts that are drug resistant. Thus, this chapter will be focused on the preparation and properties of different polyurethane–ZnO nanomaterials and also on the mechanism of their antibacterial and antifungal activity.
