Promising modification of cotton fabric for multifunctional applications

Abstract

Present day numerous efforts have been done to the development of multipurpose textiles which fulfill the necessity requirements of consumer demands. In the present research woven cotton fabric surface was modified by adaptation of biopolymers such as chitosan and sodium alginate in addition to titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and their mixtures to impart multifunctional properties. Cotton fabric surface was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron Dispersion Emission X-ray (EDX). Escherichia coli (E. coli) (Gram negative bacterium) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (Gram positive bacterium) were used for estimation of antibacterial properties of coated samples and the maximum reduction% as well as excellent UV protection category (UPF 40-50+) were achieved with chitosan+ alginate+ metal oxides mixtures. In addition, fabrics wettability was enhanced significantly by different coating mixtures except for chitosan alone. Healing and anti-inflammatory properties showed remarkable enhancement for all coating mixtures and the strongest healing activity was found with chitosan+ alginate mixture in experimentally induced inflammation in rats. So, it could be claimed that the obtained coated fabrics were suitable for different applications such as medical applications as well as industrial products.