Highly efficient and durable antibacterial cotton fabrics finished with zwitterionic polysulfobetaine by one-step eco-friendly strategy

Ecofriendly dual-function cotton fabric with antibacterial and anti-adhesion properties based on modified natural materials

Ecofriendly fabrics with antibacterial and anti-adhesion properties have been attracted an increasing attention in recent years. Herein, natural menthol modified polyacrylate (PMCA) antibacterial adhesion agent was synthesized by esterification and polymerisation while natural pterostilbene-grafted-chitosan (PGC) antibacterial agent was prepared through Mannich reaction. The antibacterial and anti-adhesion cotton fabric was fabricated through durable PMCA dip finishing and then layer-by-layer self-assembly of PGC. The results showed that the antibacterial adhesion rates and antibacterial rates of the dual-function cotton fabric against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli reached up to 99.9 %. Its antibacterial adhesion rates improved by 36.1 % and 40.1 % in comparison with those of cotton fabric treated by menthol alone. Meanwhile against S. aureus, the dual-function cotton fabrics improved the antibacterial rates by 56.7 % and 36.4 %, respectively, from those of chitosan- and pterostilbene-treated fabrics. Against E. coli, the improvements were 89.4 % and 24.8 %, respectively. After 20 household washings, the dual-function cotton fabric maintained >80 % of its original anti-adhesion and antibacterial rates against both species. The dual-function cotton fabric also possessed safe and excellent wearability.

A novel formulation of triethyl orthoformate mediated durable, smart and antibacterial chitosan cross-linked cellulose fabrics

Antibacterial, durable and smart cotton fabrics was developed using chitosan-based formulation. The cellulose was covalently cross-linked with chitosan using TEOF. The antibacterial activity of prepared smart fabrics and CS was studied against S. aureus and E. coli strains. The FTIR, SEM and XRD were employed to confirm the linkage of CS molecules with cellulose in cotton fabrics. The CS of 160 KDa extracted from shrimp shell showed the optimum antibacterial activity. The prominent asymmetric, symmetric alkyl CH peaks of CS were shifted to 2930 and 2845 (cm-1), respectively. Moreover, the shifted peaks at 1590 and 1400 (cm-1) indicate the CO stretching and NH2 bending bands of CS, respectively. This confirm the existence of new imine functional group that was generated after cross-linking of NH2 groups of CS. The SEM results showed more uniform morphology of TEOF cross-linked fabrics versus CS coated fabrics, which revealed a promising microbial growth inhibition activity. The TEOF as a cross-linker has been unveiled, showcasing the effectiveness of this innovative crosslinking approach. The fabric treated with cross-linked CS exhibited remarkable antibacterial properties that endured even after undergoing 30 washing cycles. These antibacterial textiles possess substantial commercial potential across a diverse range of industries.

Multifunctional Finishing of Cotton Fabric with Curcumin Derivatives Coatings Obtained by Sol-Gel Method

Textile materials with fluorescent, repellent, or antimicrobial properties are increasingly used in common applications. Obtaining multi-functional coatings is of wide interest, especially for applications related to signaling or to the medical field. In order to increase the performance (color properties, fluorescence lifetime, self-cleaning or antimicrobial properties) of textile materials with special uses, a series of research was carried out regarding the modification of surfaces with nanosols. In this study, coatings with multiple properties were obtained by depositing nanosols on cotton fabrics generated through sol-gel reactions. These multifunctional coatings are hybrid materials in which the host matrix is generated using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and network modifying organosilanes:dimethoxydimethylsilane (DMDMS) or dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS) in a 1:1 mass ratio. Two curcumin derivatives were embedded in siloxane matrices, a yellow one (CY) that is identical to bis-demethoxycurcumin (one of the natural constituents in turmeric) and a red dye (CR) that has a N,N-dimethylamino group grafted in position 4 of the dicinnamoylmethane skeleton of curcumin. The nanocomposites obtained by embedding curcumin derivatives in siloxane matrices were deposited on cotton fabric and studied in relation to the dye and the type of host matrix. Fabrics coated with such systems provide a hydrophobic surface, have fluorescent and antimicrobial properties, change color depending on the pH, and therefore can be used in various fields where textiles provide signaling properties, self-cleaning, or antibacterial protection. The coated fabrics maintained their good multifunctional properties even after several washing cycles.

Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Fibers

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), or nosocomial infections, are a global health and economic problem in developed and developing countries, particularly for immunocompromised patients in their intensive care units (ICUs) and surgical site hospital areas. Recurrent pathogens in HAIs prevail over antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For this reason, natural antibacterial mechanisms are a viable alternative for HAI treatment. Natural fibers can inhibit bacterial growth, which can be considered a great advantage in these applications. Moreover, these fibers have been reported to be biocompatible and biodegradable, essential features for biomedical materials to avoid complications due to infections and significant immune responses. Consequently, tissue engineering, medical textiles, orthopedics, and dental implants, as well as cosmetics, are fields currently expanding the use of plant fibers. In this review, we will discuss the source of natural fibers with antimicrobial properties, antimicrobial mechanisms, and their biomedical applications.

Microbiologically Pure Cotton Fabrics Treated with Tetrabutylammonium OXONE as Mild Disinfection Agent

The microbiological purity of textiles plays a pivotal role in the use of textiles, especially in hospitals and other medical facilities. Microbiological purity of cotton fabric was achieved by a new disinfection method using tetrabutyloammonium OXONE (TBA-OXONE) before washing. As a result of the disinfection, the cotton fabric became microbiologically pure, despite the markedly decreased washing time with respect to the widely used standard procedure. Shortening of the washing time allowed for significant energy savings. In addition, the effect of the number of disinfection and washing cycles on the tensile properties and tearing force of the fabric was examined. After 120 disinfection and washing cycles the mechanical properties of cotton fabric were only slightly worsened.

Durable antibacterial cotton fabric fabricated using a "self-created" mist polymerization device

There are two major problems associated with the use of antibacterial cotton fabric. The durability of the fabric is poor, and the inherent properties of the fabric deteriorate following the execution of the finishing processes. These limit the application of antibacterial fabric. We first treated the cotton fabric with acryloyl chloride (AC) molecules to make the surface of the fabric rich in carbon‑carbon double (C=C) bonds. Following this, the [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (DMES) monomer was polymerized with the CC bonds on the fabric following the "grafting through" method. As a result, the cotton fabric was successfully grafted with the poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (PDMES), exploiting covalent bonds. The finished fabric exhibited excellent antibacterial effects. The bacterial reduction (BR) rates of the finished fabric against E. coli and S. aureus were greater than 99.0 %. Even after 50 washing cycles, the BR rates of the finished fabric against E. coli and S. aureus were greater than 96.0 %. In addition, the use of the "self-created" mist polymerization technology ensured that the inherent properties of the finished fabric were retained to a large extent. Therefore, the antibacterial cotton fabric prepared following this method can be potentially used for the fabrication of industrial and household textiles.

Antibacterial Performance of Protonated Polyaniline-Integrated Polyester Fabrics

During the last few years, there has been an increase in public awareness of antimicrobial fabrics, as well as an increase in commercial opportunities for their use in pharmaceutical and medical settings. The present study reports on the optimized fabrication of protonated polyaniline (PANI)-integrated polyester (PES) fabric. Para-toluene sulfonic acid (pTSA) was used to protonate the PANI fabric and thus grant it antibacterial performance. The results of a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay showed high antioxidant activity of protonated PANI fabric at a scavenging efficiency of 84.83%. Moreover, the findings revealed remarkably sensitive antibacterial performance of PANI-integrated fabric against the following Gram-positive bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), S. epidermidis, and S. aureus; and also against the following Gram-negative bacteria: P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and S. typhi. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) were used to determine the changes in the structural and elemental compositions of PANI fabric upon treatment with bacterial strains. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed that the electrical conductivity value of protonated PANI fabric decreased by one (1) order of magnitude against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, from 3.35 ± 7.81 × 10-3 S cm-1 to 6.11 ± 7.81 × 10-4 S cm-1 and 4.63 ± 7.81 × 10-4 S cm-1, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the disruption of bacterial membranes and their structures when exposed to protonated PANI fabric; meanwhile, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that the fabric retained its thermal stability characteristics. These findings open up potential for the use of antimicrobial fabrics in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.

Cost-effective fabrication, antibacterial application and cell viability studies of modified nonwoven cotton fabric

In the present work, nonwoven cotton fabric was modified for antibacterial applications using low-cost and eco-friendly precursors. The treatment of fabric with alkali leads to the formation of active sites for surface modification, followed by dip coating with silver nanoparticles and chitosan. The surface was chlorinated in the next step to transform amide (N-H) groups in chitosan into N-halamine (N-Cl). The modified and unmodified surfaces of the nonwoven cotton fabric have been characterized by FTIR, SEM, and XRD. The active chlorine loading is measured with iodine/sodium thiosulphate. The antimicrobial activity and cell toxicity assay were carried out with and without modifications of nonwoven cotton fabric. The antimicrobial efficacies of loaded fabric were evaluated against four bacterial species (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, and E.coli). It was found that modified fabric exhibited superior efficiency against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains as compared to their bulk counterparts upon exposure without affecting strength and integrity of fabric. The overall process is economical for commercial purposes. The modified fabric can be used for antimicrobial, health, and food packaging industries, and in other biomedical applications.

Light-driven self-disinfecting textiles functionalized by PCN-224 and Ag nanoparticles

Toward the goal of preventing microbial infections in hospitals or other healthcare institutions, here we developed a self-disinfecting textile with synergistic photodynamic/photothermal antibacterial property. Porphyrinic Metal-organic frameworks (PCN-224) and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ grown on knitted cotton textile (KCT) successively to achieve rapid photodynamic antibacterial and durable bacteriostatic effect. Light-driven singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generated from PCN-224 and heat generated from Ag could function synergistically to realize rapid bacterial inactivation. Interestingly, ¹O₂ could promote Ag NPs to be degraded to release more Ag⁺ ions, achieving durable bacteriostatic effect. Antibacterial assay demonstrated 6 and 4.49 log unit inactivation toward two typical bacterial strains (E. coli and S. aureus) under Xe arc lamp in 30 min, respectively. Even after ten washes, the textile still maintained 6 log unit bacterial inactivation. Mechanism study proved light-driven ¹O₂ and heat are main factors causing bacterial inactivation, they could work synergistically to enhance bacterial inactivation efficiency. Photothermal study revealed that the textile could reach to 69 ℃ under visible light and 79.1 ℃ under 780-nm light-laser, which showed much potential in photothermal material applications. Taken together, our findings demonstrated a synergistic self-disinfecting cotton textile that exhibited constructive significance for preventing microbial infections and transmissions.