An eco-friendly route to develop cellulose-based multifunctional finished linen fabric using ZnO NPs and CS network

Abstract

The study aims to develop a multifunctional finished linen fabric by using an environment-benign, green and sustainable route. The cellulose-based linen fabric has been functionally modified by amino polysaccharide (chitosan, CS), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), and flower extract of medicinal plant, Bombax ceiba. The NPs were stabilized by the extract on chitosan polymeric layer, which was bound on the fabric through citric acid. Thus, developed finished fabric, at three different pH values, was examined for bending length, tensile strength, crease recovery, UV-protection, antibacterial, and antioxidant activity. The embedded ZnO NPs have been confirmed through FT-IR, Energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed effective crease recovery angle (CRA) and hiked UV protection factor (UPR) with splendid percent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (>90%) and high free radical scavenging ability (80–90%) for the modified fabrics. The durability of the multifunctional properties has also been determined by several launderings.