Bactericidal functionalization of wrinkle-free fabrics via covalently bonding TiO2@Ag nanoconjugates

A simple technique is first developed to functionalize the durable-press all-cotton fabrics by grafting silver anchored TiO2 (P25) nanoconjugates through enediol ligand-metal oxide bonding and resin dehydration. The functionalization is incorporated into a conventional pad-dry-cure process. The treatment ensures the nanoconjugates are covalently bonded to the substrate fabric materials (cotton cellulose). We tested the bactericidal activity of these surface-modified fabric samples after repeated laundries, using the waterborne Escherichia coli bacteria. Strong inhibition results were observed on the TiO2@Ag treated samples than using bare TiO2 alone. After 60 min of sunlight irradiation, the overall bactericidal efficiency reached 96% after 7.5 h culturing. After 60 min of artificial solar light irradiation, the overall bactericidal efficiency reached 99%. Our observations suggest that the enediol linkage can be an effective candidate to graft functional metal oxide nanoconjugates onto a variety of fabric surfaces via a conventional pad-dry-cure process.