Green options for imparting antibacterial functionality to cotton fabrics

This study demonstrated that antibacterial cellulosic textiles can be fabricated in eco-friendly manner by grafting of monochlorotriazinyl β-cyclodextin (MCT-βCD) onto knitted and woven cotton fabrics followed by post-loading of any of the green active ingredients namely Rosemary oil, Lavender oil, Clove oil, Cinnamon oil, Aloe vera gel, Vanillin, Ag-ions, Natural Yellow 7 and Natural Red 25 dyes into the hydrophobic cavities of grafted β-CD moieties. Some of the grafted, post-loaded fabric samples were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and EDS analysis. The enhancement in the imparted antibacterial functionality as well as durability to wash are governed by type of cellulosic substrate, kind, chemistry, antibacterial activity as well as extent of inclusion and subsequent release of the hosted bioactive agent. The obtained results revealed that the antibacterial efficacy follows the deceasing orders: i) knitted fabric > woven fabric and ii) Ag-ions > Lavender oil > Natural Yellow 7 > Aloe vera > Cinnamon oil > Natural Red 25 > Vanillin > Clove oil > Rosemary oil-loaded fabric sample, keeping other parameters constant. •Grafting of MCT- βCD onto cellulose structure•Inclusion of green active ingredients into hydrophobic cavities•Antibacterial cotton fabrics with remarkable functionality and durability•Eco-friendly finishing process and functionalized cotton cellulose