Layer by layer assembly of antibacterial inclusion complexes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create a textile material which shows antibacterial activity with resistance to environmental conditions by using volatile active agent inclusion complex and self-assembly method. Design/methodology/approach – An inclusion complex of carvacrol and β-CD is generated by kneading method and deposited on the cotton fabrics by using a nanofabrication method named as layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition method. Three different concentration of CD and CD:Car aqueous solutions were deposited on cotton fabrics. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), antimicrobial efficacy test of fabrics against washing and some physical tests (water vapor permeability, air permeability) were performed on the fabrics before and after the treatment with CD to evaluate the effect of the LbL process on cotton fabric properties. Findings – The results showed that the coated fabrics with CD/CD:Car multilayer films enhanced the antimicrobial efficacy of cotton fabrics against to Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococus aureus bacteria. Air and water vapor permeability properties of the cotton fabric effected after the LbL deposition process sure enough. With SEM and FTIR-ATR analysis the CD:Car complex presence were verified. The durability of antibacterial properties were analyzed after one and ten washing (40°C and 30 min) cycles. Originality/value – This work provides a novel and simple method for CD and inclusion complex of carvacrol film deposition by self-assembly method on cotton fabrics and their application onto cotton fabrics to gain antibacterial property.