Green in-situ synthesis of silver coated textiles for wide hygiene and healthcare applications

In this study, antibacterial and biocompatible silver-based (Ag0) coatings on cotton fabric were obtained by using atmospheric pressure plasma mediated in situ silver reduction, an effective, facile, and environment-friendly technique. The formation of the thin (nanometers in thickness) Ag0 coating on the fabric fibers was character-ized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and backscattered electron (BSE) analysis. In particular, the anti-bacterial activity demonstrated by the silver-fabrics (Ag0-fabrics) against gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria was about 105 times more potent than silver ion or silver nano -particle fabricated fabrics. The Ag0-fabrics also demonstrated good killing activity to preformed biofilms. Moreover, because of the greatly reduced silver loading, Ag0-fabrics did not pose significant cytotoxicity to human tissue cells exhibiting good biocompatibility. Given the economic and environment-friendly nature of the Ag0-fabrics technology wide applications can be derived in health, hygiene, and medical fields.

Automated summary

In this study, antibacterial and biocompatible silver-based coatings were successfully obtained on cotton fabric using atmospheric pressure plasma mediated in situ silver reduction. The coatings showed strong antibacterial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as effective killing activity against preformed biofilms. Moreover, the coatings exhibited good biocompatibility to human tissue cells due to the significantly reduced silver loading. The environmentally friendly nature of this technology suggests potential wide applications in the health, hygiene, and medical fields.