Fig. 1

Characterization of the Car@NMs@MTX-ZA hydrogel. a, b SEM and TEM images of the ZnO/Ag hybrid microspheres. c–f STEM and elemental mapping images of the ZnO/Ag hybrid microspheres. g FT-IR spectra of NMs, MTX and NMs@MTX-ZA. h The size distributions of the NMs, MTX and NMs@MTX-ZA. i SEM image of porous structures and digital picture of the Car@NMs@MTX-ZA hydrogel. j–k Rheological properties of Car@NMs@MTX-ZA hydrogel. m In vitro release profiles of MTX from different formulations at 37 °C using phosphate buffered saline (pH = 7.4). NMs: PCL-PEG-PCL