Silicone quaternary ammonium salt based nanocomposite: a long-acting antibacterial cotton fabric finishing agent with good softness and air permeability

A silicone quaternary ammonium salt based nanocomposite was synthesized and the chemical structure and stability of the nanocomposite were investigated. The results showed that the OQAS/(Ag/ZnO) nanocomposite had prepared successfully. The cotton fabrics were treated with different concentration of OQAS/(Ag/ZnO) nanocomposite and its antibacterial, durability, softness, hydrophilicity, and air permeability were also be examined using diverse characterization techniques. The antibacterial rate of treated cotton can reach to over 90%. After 10 cycles washing, antibacterial rate retain over 85% for both E. coli and S. aureus, because the chemical bond had formed between nanocomposite and cotton from the FT-IR result. In addition, a model bacterium, E. coli was used to evaluate the antibacterial mechanism and kinetics of nanocomposite. The hydrophilicity, air permeability and softness of the treated cotton fabrics were also had an improvement to some extent.