CF4 plasma and silver functionalized cotton

In an attempt to use minimal concentrations, initially, of silver nanoparticles for loading onto textiles and to achieve maximum concentrations on the material, CF ₄ low-pressure plasma was used on bleached and mercerized cotton fabric. The concentrations of silver on the fabrics were determined by the ICP-MS method (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry), the morphology of fiber surfaces was observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study was used for the evaluation of surface chemical changes. The antibacterial effect of silver loaded fabrics was tested against Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The best results were found for plasma-treated cotton fabric functionalized with 30 nm silver particles. The results show effective plasma etching of the fabric surface, which caused excellent adhesion of silver particles. Color measurements of dyed samples showed that CF ₄ plasma does not affect the color of dyed cotton. The mechanical properties of cotton remain unaltered after plasma treatment.