Sonochemically sol–gel derived coating of textiles using heterojunction SnO2/ZnO/chitosan bionanocomposites: in vitro antibacterial evaluation

Abstract

The cellulose-based textiles currently used in hospitals are good conducive materials for cross-infection or transmission of diseases caused by microorganisms. Thus, great interest has been recently found in the antibacterial finishing of fabrics for practical applications to prevent the infection incidence. In this work, we developed novel SnO2/ZnO/chitosan bionanocomposites by one-step simultaneous sonochemical/sol–gel deposition to prepare an antibacterial textile as a model for combating bacterial infections. The different prepared samples were characterized using transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicating the embedded SnO2 and ZnO nanoparticles in treated fabrics. The treated fabrics were used to evaluate antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus as a model for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively, using disk diffusion method in dark conditions as an in vitro model for treatment of bacterial wound infection. The procedure was more developed in terms of SnO2/ZnO molar ratio and using chitosan and citric acid to improve the antibacterial properties of the fabrics and their wash durability, respectively. The highest antibacterial activity of the fabrics was attained in a 50 min sonochemical coating process using SnO2/ZnO 1:2 molar ratio in initial sol and simultaneously deposited chitosan and citric acid. The presence of chitosan as complexing agent, citric acid as crosslink agent, and SnO2–ZnO heterojunction as important influencing parameters synergistically enhanced both the antimicrobial efficiency and maintenance of modified cotton durability after performing several washing cycles.