Nano-structured metal oxides: synthesis, characterization and application for multifunctional cotton fabric

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared from their salts in form of aqueous suspensions to provide multifunctional cellulosic substrate. ZnO-NPs and TiO2-NPs are obtained in the range of 3-5 nm and 8-15 nm, respectively. Prepared suspensions are loaded onto knitted cotton fabrics and fixed using reactive softener and/or citric acid. Antimicrobial activity, ultraviolet protection (UPF) and self-cleaning in respect to metal oxides add-on to the fabrics are investigated. Fabrics treated with ZnO-NPs for 10 g l−1 (white fabrics) and 5 g l−1 (dyed fabrics) were cidal for both gram negative and positive bacteria. Using 5 g l−1 TiO2-NPs in the presence of reactive softener has a bacteriostatic effect and showed a decent bacteria reduction. TiO2-NPs showed the better UPF values than those of ZnO treated fabrics when it compared to the same fabric structure. Discoloration values of TiO2-NPs treated fabrics showed superior color fading over the ZnO-NPs treated samples.