Functionalization of cotton fabric orienting towards antibacterial activity

Abstract

The primary objective of modifying cotton fabric was to impart bactericidal properties to attract various fields such as defence, space and textile industrial applications. Chemically initiated graft copolymerization of 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) and acrylonitrile (AN) onto cotton fabric was carried out using ceric ammonium nitrate as a redox initiator. Optimum conditions pertaining to maximum percentage of grafting were evaluated as a function of concentration of initiator [CAN], concentration of nitric acid, monomer concentration, water, temperature and reaction time. Maximum grafting of 4-VP (51.63%) and AN (69.23%) was obtained respectively at optimum \( \left[ {\text{CAN}} \right] = 2.738 \times {10^{ - 2}} \) and 2.19 × 10−2 moles/L, \( \left[ {4 - {\text{VP}}} \right] = 47.55 \times {10^{ - 22}}{\text{moles}}/{\text{L}} \), \( \left[ {\text{AN}} \right] = 18.85 \times {10^{ - 22}}{\text{moles}}/{\text{L}} \), \( \left[ {{\text{HN}}{{\text{O}}_3}} \right] = 11.9 \times {10^{ - 2}} \) and 89.5 × 10−22 moles/L in 20 and 25 ml of water at an optimum temperature 70 °C and 60 °C with in 180 and 120 min. Antibacterial properties were induced into the modified cotton fabric by treating the grafted fabric with benzyl chloride. The grafted and quaternized copolymer were characterized by FTIR and Thermogravimetrical analysis. The bactericidal action of cotton fabric was tested by filtration test and it was observed that fabric grafted with 4-VP was more effective and efficient antibacterial as compared to AN grafted cotton sample.