Screening the UV-blocking and antimicrobial properties of herbal nanoparticles prepared from Aloe vera leaves for textile applications

Nanomaterials play a vital role in textile industries due to their unique properties and applications. There is an increase in the use of nanoscale phyto products in textiles to control the bacterial infection in fabrics. Here, natural herbal nanoparticles of different sizes were prepared from shade-dried Aloe vera plant leaves using ball milling technique without any additives. The amorphous herbal A. vera nanoparticles possess an average particle size of 40 +/- 2 nm and UV-absorption maximum at 269 nm. A. vera nanopowders-chitosan nanocomposites were prepared and coated on cotton fabrics using pad-dry cure method. The evaluation of antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (22.05 +/- 0.06 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (27.17 +/- 0.02 mm), UV-protection properties (UV-protection factor=57.2 +/- 0.1), and superhydrophobic nature (155 +/- 3 degrees) of the prepared herbal nanoparticles and their composites were analysed by disc diffusion, UV-visible spectral analysis, and contact angle analysis. Understanding the functional properties of herbal nanoparticles, coated particles on fabrics highlights their potential applications in protective clothing with better antimicrobial properties, hydrophobicity, and UV-protection properties. This study of using A. vera herbal nanoparticles in textiles significantly enhances the fabric performance to develop protective textile fabrics in defence and biomedical fields.