PLASMA PRETREATMENT ON TASAR SILK FABRICS COATED WITH ZnO NANOPARTICLES AGAINST ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Plasma pretreatment is an eco-friendly process employed to modify the surface properties and improve the adhesion properties of tasar silk fabrics. The plasma pretreatment has been carried out in DC glow discharge plasma at constant power and for different treatment durations (5, 10 and 30[Formula: see text]min). ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) play a significant role in antibacterial, cleaning and UV protection. ZnO NPs have been synthesized by the wet chemical method and the average crystallite size of the same is found to be 49[Formula: see text]nm using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Plasma treated silk fabrics are coated with ZnO NPs using vacuum thermal evaporation technique. Structural and chemical change of raw, untreated and plasma treated silk fabrics coated with ZnO NPs are analyzed by XRD and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) studies. The surface morphologies of all the fabrics are analyzed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), which confirms the adherence of ZnO NPs on the surface of the fabrics. Elemental analysis is carried out using energy dispersive spectroscopy, which confirms the presence of ZnO NPs on the surface of the fabrics. The improved surface property in terms of hydrophobicity is analyzed by using a contact angle test. It is found that the plasma pretreated silk fabrics coated with ZnO NPs have better antibacterial activities against Escherichia Coli bacteria.