PREPARATION OF Ag/ZnO-COATED COTTON FABRICS WITH UV-BLOCKING AND ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES

Cotton fabric was coated with Ag/ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) via a facile, low-temperature thermal reduction process to acquire antibacterial activity and ultraviolet-blocking properties. First, cotton fabric modified with (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane was added to a solution of zinc (II) 2-ethylhexylcarbamate and silver (I) 2-ethylhexylcarbamate in 2-methoxyethanol and reduced for in situ generation of Ag/ZnO NPs through heating at 150 degrees C. The cotton fabrics coated with Ag/ZnO NPs were then examined using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) showed crystalline metallic Ag on the crystalline wurtzite-type ZnO and a good combination. The nanocomposite fabrics exhibited a uniform and continuous Ag/ZnO layer composed of Ag, ZnO and Ag/ZnO hybrid NPs 20-40 nm in size. UV-visible spectra verified that Ag/ZnO hybrid NPs presented a special two-absorption-region (strong UV-light and weak visible-light at 421 nm). The study demonstrated that the Ag/ZnO NPs can block UV and that the treated cotton fabric exhibited excellent antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli (0157:H7, ATCC 43889) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923).