Natural bioactive formulations for biodegradable cotton eco-fabrics with antimicrobial and fire-shielding properties

Abstract

In this study, eco-friendly cotton fabrics with antimicrobial and flame-retardant properties were produced using newly developed bioactive formulations. The new natural formulations combine the biocidal properties of the biopolymer (chitosan (CS)) and essential oil (thyme oil) (EO) with the flame-retardant properties of mineral fillers (silica (SiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and hydrotalcite (LDH)). The modified cotton eco-fabrics were analyzed in terms of morphology (optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)), color (spectrophotometric measurements), thermal stability (thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)), biodegradability, flammability (micro-combustion calorimetry (MCC)), and antimicrobial characteristics. The antimicrobial activity of the designed eco-fabrics was determined against different kinds of microorganism (S. aureus, E. coli, P. fluorescens, B. subtilis, A. niger, C. albicans). The antibacterial effects and flammability of the materials were found to depend strongly on the compositions of the bioactive formulation. The best results were obtained for the samples of fabric coated with the formulations containing LDH and TiO2 filler. These samples showed the highest decreases in flammability, with heat release rate (HRR) values of 168 (W/g) and 139 (W/g), respectively, compared to the reference (233 W/g). The samples also showed very good inhibition of growth against of all the studied bacteria.