Advances in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: Chapter- 17: Neoteric Approach to One-Step Bleaching and Antibacterial Finishing of Cotton Fabric

Abstract

The importance of antibacterial textiles was accelerated in the last years, especially in pharmaceutical and medical fields, because of the huge amount of the contamination in the world. Furthermore, the need for conserving chemicals, time and energy in textile industry is consider an urgent requirement. So, in the present study via one-step cotton fabric was acquired antibacterial as well as bleaching properties by treatment with hydrogen peroxide / zinc salts mixtures. The antibacterial properties were qualitatively evaluated against Gram- negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). All treated cotton samples with different mixtures of zinc salts and hydrogen peroxide gave antibacterial properties against the two types of bacteria, but the mixture of zinc acetate showed the more durable properties than other zinc salts (chloride, sulphate and nitrate). Different treatment techniques have been done, and the pad-cure method achieved the higher antibacterial as well as whiteness properties than exhaustion method. In the durability test, the treated cotton fabrics showed a sustainable antibacterial activity against the two kinds of bacteria in addition to enhancement of whiteness properties even after 30 washing cycles. Nevertheless, the post dyeing of treated cotton fabrics with two types of reactive dyes decreased the antibacterial efficiency.