Objective: The objective of the following study was a synthesis of nanocrystalline tetragonal zirconia (ZrO2) using simple sol–gel method and evaluation of its structural and biological properties.Methods: The sample was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and evaluated for cell growth study using 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells and for degradation using Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) solution. The synthesized materials were also evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacterial strains.Results: The XRD pattern shows that the tetragonal phase of nanocrystalline zirconia was obtained at relatively low temperature i.e. 300 °C. The FESEM images showed that the prepared sample consists of particles in the range of 35-69 nm and homogenous particle size distribution. The TEM images confirmed the results shown by FESEM images. The sample of zirconia has excellent tissue biocompatibility, higher cell growth and does not show the toxicity towards normal 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. The result of qualitative antibacterial tests revealed that the nanocrystalline zirconia had an important inhibitory activity on E. coli and S. aureus. The sample shows stability at the physiological condition and does not show degradation.Conclusion: Nanocrystalline tetragonal zirconia shows higher cell growth and efficient antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacterial pathogen and also it is stable at the physiological condition. Hence, it can be used for various biomedical applications.Keywords: Nanocrystalline zirconia, Sol-gel route, Antimicrobial action, Biomedical applicatio
