Super-hydrophobic and antimicrobial properties of Ag-PPFC nanocomposite thin films fabricated using a ternary carbon nanotube-Ag-PTFE composite sputtering target

Ag-plasma polymer fluorocarbon (PPFC) nanocomposite thin films were fabricated using ternary carbon nanotube-Ag-polytetrafluoroethylene composite target by the mid-range frequency dual sputtering method. Ag nanoparticles of diameter 6-8 nm were found to be uniformly distributed in the PPFC matrix. The Ag-PPFC nanocomposite thin films coated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate showed higher visible light transmittance than the bare substrate owing to the low refractive index of the thin film and the optical compensation effect; the coating also exhibited excellent water repellency due to the low surface energy of the PPFC matrix. The Ag nanoparticles had no observable effect on the optical and surface properties of the thin film. The Ag-PPFC nanocomposite thin films on fabric substrates exhibited deposition coverage on both front and back surfaces of the fabric, thereby rendering super-hydrophobic characteristics to the entire substrate. The Ag-PPFC nanocomposite thin films were found to have superior antimicrobial properties, suppressing the growth and proliferation of bacteria by up 92.2% compared with uncoated substrates. This is attributed to the super-hydrophobic property of the PPFC matrix and the antimicrobial characteristics of Ag nanoparticles.