Design of electrically conductive superhydrophobic antibacterial cotton fabric through hierarchical architecture using bimetallic deposition

In view of the emerging applications of electrically conductive textiles, a simple and inexpensive method for the fabrication of superhydrophobic textiles with electrical conductivity and antibacterial activity has been developed through bimetallic deposition of copper and silver over cotton fabric. The as-fabricated modified cotton surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. The antibacterial activity of the modified fabrics has been evaluated by disc diffusion method against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The results of the study revealed that the strategy of the bimetallic deposition over cotton could well become the method of choice for the fabrication of superhydrophobic smart textiles with diverse applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.