Fabrication of copper-based superhydrophobic self-cleaning antibacterial coating over cotton fabric

A superhydrophobic cotton fabric exhibiting excellent self-cleaning and antibacterial activity prepared by a facile, cost-effective method involving deposition of copper and stearic acid has been reported in this article. The surface morphology and microstructure of the modified fabric have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity of the as-prepared superhydrophobic textiles has been evaluated by the disc diffusion method using Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. Evaluation of the modified fabric by a simple washing method and immersion in media of various pH values revealed the durability of the superhydrophobic textiles. In view of the robustness of this technique, it is certain that textiles with the dual functionalities of superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity could be developed by this method and exploited in application domains in the years to come.