Investigation on functionalization of cotton and viscose fabrics with AgNWs

Patrycja Giesz,Małgorzata Cieślak,Grzegorz Celichowski,Ewelina Mackiewicz,Alicja Nejman

doi:10.1007/s10570-016-1107-7

Patrycja Giesz, Małgorzata Cieślak + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-1107-7

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Abstract

A study on the functionalization of cotton and viscose fabrics to achieve bifunctional conductive and antibacterial properties was carried out; 0.5 wt% AgNW ethanolic colloid was prepared, and fabrics were dipped and dried in the colloid 1, 10 and 15 times. After one dipping, both fabrics remained nonconductive, and the surface resistance (Rs) of cotton was 4.9 × 1010 and of viscose 3.6 × 1011 Ω. Excellent conductivity properties were shown in cotton fabric after 10 dippings (20 Ω) and in viscose fabric after 15 dippings (46 Ω). The Ag content of these fabrics was 53.3 and 52.3% (SEM/EDX analysis) and 13.77 and 14.12% (TG/DTG analysis) for cotton and viscose, respectively. XRD analysis revealed the presence of AgNWs on the fabric surface. FTIR/ATR, Raman and TG analysis confirmed the effects of modifications. The AgNW layers on both fabric surfaces were resistant to abrasion. After 50 washes of the modified cotton fabric, Rs increased from 20 to 195 Ω. The AgNW layer was stable and the fabric still highly conductive. However, viscose fabric became nonconductive after two washes, and the surface resistance increased from 46 to 1.4 × 1011 Ω. The tensile strength of cotton modified with AgNWs increased by about 49% and for viscose decreased by about 27%. AgNW-modified cotton fabric showed a significant antibacterial effect against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae bacteria. The presented method is more suitable for cotton because the modified cotton fabric retains the mechanical and conductive properties even after many washes.

Highlights

The development of innovative textile materials aims to endow them with multifunctional properties (Foksowicz-Flaczyk et al 2016)
Multifunctional cotton and viscose fabrics modified with silver nanowires (AgNWs) by the dipping-drying method were obtained
AgNW loading on the fabric surfaces gives them conductive properties, which depend on the amount of AgNWs and connections between nanowires

Summary

Introduction

The development of innovative textile materials aims to endow them with multifunctional properties (Foksowicz-Flaczyk et al 2016). E-textile products have many applications, e.g., in biomedical sensors (electrocardiogram sensors), piezoresistive sensors, piezoelectric materials (optical resonator and transducer), rehabilitation (electromagnetic shields in physiotherapy) as well as professional sports and recreation (smart suits) (Rattfalt et al 2007; Zhou et al 2014; Capineri 2014; Usma et al 2015; Dias 2015) Modifiers such as silver, carbon, gold and copper are the most common conductors and can be combined with various textile materials using conventional and unconventional methods (Cieslak et al 2009; Stempien et al 2016; Shateri-Khalilabad and Yazdanshenas 2013; Cui et al 2015). The methods of deposition, spinning, printing, coating, dipping and solution growing to obtain conductive materials have been widely used (Cui et al 2015)

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