Facile and Eco-Friendly Fabrication of Colored and Bioactive Silk Materials Using Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Two Flavonoids

Recently, there has been an increasing tendency towards the functionalization of silk using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to inhibit bacterial multiplication and disease spread. Considering environmental factors and sustainable development, the preparation of AgNPs using natural extracts is becoming a research hotspot. This study aims at fabricating colored and bioactive silk fabric using AgNPs synthesized by two representative flavonoids (quercetin and rutin). The effects of pH, temperature, and flavonoid concentration on the yield and particle size of AgNPs were studied. The color features and functionalities of the AgNPs-treated silk were also evaluated. The results showed that the AgNPs synthesized by quercetin were generated faster but displayed poorer size uniformity than those prepared by rutin. The as-prepared AgNPs showed good stability. The AgNPs prepared by rutin displayed a more uniform distribution on silk than those synthesized by quercetin. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs-treated silk remained over 90% against E. coli and S. aureus even after 30 washing cycles. The antioxidant activity of the treated silk gradually decreased during washing. The present research proposes a facile and eco-friendly method for the preparation of AgNPs-coated silk material using flavonoids, which can serve as hygiene-related and medical textile materials.