Immobilization of zinc oxide nanoparticles on cotton fabrics using poly 4-styrenesulfonic acid polyelectrolyte

Immobilization of ZnO nanoparticles on cotton fabrics using poly 4-styrenesulfonic acid (PSS) was studied. The cotton fabrics were firstly cationized using 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride (CHTAC) solution. The surfaces of cationized cotton were coated using a layer-by-layer technique by stepwise dipping the cationized cotton into a solution of anionic PSS polyelectrolyte and Zn(NO3)(2) center dot 6H(2)O solution. The coating procedure was repeated 2, 4, and 6 times to obtain the PSS/Zn2+ multilayers coated on the cotton fabrics. The treated cotton fabrics were hydrothermally treated in NH4OH solution at 90 degrees C for 24 h, resulting in immobilization of ZnO nanocrystals on the cotton fabrics. The SEM, XRF, and XPS data revealed the accomplishment of ZnO immobilization on the surfaces of the treated cotton fabrics. The higher the number of PSS/Zn2+ coating layers on the fabrics, the more hydrothermally grown ZnO nanoparticles could be obtained, resulting in a higher UV protection factor when testing by the AATCC 183-2004 standard test method. All cotton fabrics with the ZnO immobilized on the surfaces were classified according to the AS/NZS 4339:1997 standard in the range of VERY GOOD UV protection category. The ZnO-immobilized cotton fabrics with the six PSS/Zn2+ coating layers could inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus when testing by the AATCC 147-2004 standard test method.