Double Protect Copper Nanoparticles Loaded on L-cysteine Modified Cotton Fabric with Durable Antibacterial Properties

Abstract

In this work, we developed a new method that can achieve immobilization and protection of the Cu NPs coating on the cotton fabrics by a simple two-step impregnation method. Firstly, L-cysteine (Cys) was grafted onto cotton fabric via esterification with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose, then Cu NPs were introduced on the fabric surface in the presence of a protective reagent, citric acid. Due to the doubled stabilization acts of Cys and citric acid, the Cu NPs immobilized on the fabric surface showed an excellent antibacterial effect and outstanding laundering durability. As a result, the mean size of the Cu NPs coating on the cotton fabric is about 62.4 nm, and the modified cotton fabrics showed satisfactory antibacterial ability against both S. aureus and E. coli, which the bacterial reduction rates are all higher than 98 % even withstand 50 washing cycles. Therefore, this method to prepare antibacterial cotton fabrics showed great potential applications in socks, cosmetic, and medical textiles.