Antibacterial and colorimetric evaluation of cotton fabrics dyed with direct dyes and loaded with Ag nanoparticles

Antibacterial and calorimetric evaluation of cotton fabrics dyed with direct dyes and loaded with Ag nanoparticles This study discusses the relationship between loading of cotton fabric with colloidal Ag nanoparticles and dyeing with direct dyes - C.I. Direct Yellow 86, C.I. Direct Red 79 and C.I. Direct Blue 78. The influence of order of Ag nanoparticles loading and dyeing of cotton fabrics as well as the concentration of applied dye on their antibacterial activity and colour change were studied. Antibacterial activity was tested against gram-negative bacterium E. coli and Gram-positive bacterium S. aureus. Dyed cotton fabrics loaded with Ag nanoparticles exhibited excellent antibacterial properties independently of dye concentration and order of dyeing and loading of Ag nanoparticles. Colour change of cotton fabrics due to presence of Ag nanoparticles is highly influenced by the order of operations, applied dye and dye concentration. The stability of these nanocomposite textile materials was tested in acidic and alkaline artificial sweat. The release of silver occurred independently of the pH value of the sweat.