Durable Antibacterial and UV Protective Properties of Cotton Fabric Coated with Carboxymethyl Chitosan and Ag/TiO2 Composite Nanoparticles

k]Immobilizing inorganic particles such as zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) or grafting special biopolymer such as chitosan on cotton fabrics is the main method to prepare antibacterial and ultraviolet (UV) protective cotton fabrics. However, poor durability and complex finishing methods are still of the main defects of antibacterial and UV protective fabric samples. In the present work, the Ag/TiO2 colloid solution was prepared with using the carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) as a stabilizer, then the CMC and Ag/TiO2 composite nanoparticles were coated on the fabric via finishing technology of pad-dry-cure. As a result, the modified fabric showed excellent antibacterial and UV protective properties, with the values of bacterial reduction (BR) and ultraviolet protection factor were reached at 99.5 % and 79.0, respectively. Moreover, even after 50 washing cycles, these properties of the finished fabrics were not obviously reduced. These results demonstrated that the finished fabric sample has durable antibacterial and UV protective properties which could has a great potential application in the field of medical and outdoor apparel.

Automated summary

In this study, cotton fabrics were modified with Ag/TiO2 composite nanoparticles using carboxymethyl chitosan as a stabilizer, resulting in excellent antibacterial and UV protective properties. Even after 50 washing cycles, the performance of the finished fabrics remained stable, demonstrating great potential for applications in medical and outdoor apparel.