Abstract
The aim of this study is to report eco- friendly, durable, water-based surface treatments for textile materials in preventing bacterial growth. The study specifically focuses on the development of antibacterial cotton and polyester fabrics using formulations containing silver nitrate (AgNO3), zinc nitrate (Zn(NO3)2) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) as active agents. The treatment is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based with citric acid (CA) as crosslinking agent (CA) in optimized concentrations. Fabric treatment is conducted using a pad-dry-cure method. Surface morphology and elemental composition are evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The modified textiles provided potent and fast biocidal efficacy against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with all tested samples exhibiting 100% inhibition of the growth of pathogenic bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. Moreover, the surface treatment showed no indication of toxicity. Additionally, the air permeability of the treated fabrics is analyzed, and it is determined that the application of the developed formulations does not significantly reduce air flow.
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