Multifunctional Surface Modification of Mulberry Silk Fabric via PNIPAAm/Chitosan/PEO Nanofibers Coating and Cross-Linking Technology

Multifunctional mulberry silk fabrics with excellent temperature- and pH-sensitivity, antibacterial properties and permeability are successfully prepared by surface modification with PNIPAAm/chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers. The nanofibers deposited on the surface of mulberry silk fabric are produced by the electrospinning technique. The surface properties of mulberry silk fabrics were changed by coating process and glutaraldehyde vapor cross-linking technology. The PNIPAAm/chitosan/PEO nanofibers have good apparent morphology and uniform fiber diameter. The contact angle of modified mulberry silk obviously increases with the increasing temperature. The bacterial reduction rates of modification of mulberry silk against E. coli and S. aureus all reach above 80%. Permeability test results show that it can largely improve the poor permeability of coated fabric by intelligent nanofiber modification technology. The air permeability of temperature- and pH-sensitivity mulberry silk fabric modified with PNIPAAm/chitosan/PEO nanofibers, which has reached about 5.1 x 10(2) L/m(2)/s, is higher than that of the silk fabric coated with PNIPAAm/chitosan/PEO solution that reached 1.5 x 10(2) L/m(2)/s. The nanofibers coated with mulberry silk fabrics show outstanding temperature- and pH-sensitivity, antibacterial properties and permeability, and may be a potential application in medical care, intelligent materials and textiles.