Antimicrobial finishing of cotton fabrics based on gamma irradiated carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol)/TiO2 nanocomposites

Synthesis of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties is of great interest for the development of textiles finishing, in general, and cotton fabric, in particular. In this work, TiO₂ nanoparticles at different concentrations were synthesized using nitric acid as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Cotton fabrics were first impregnated, to a pick-up of 100%, in colloidal solutions containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)/TiO₂ nanocomposites. After that, the coated fabrics were exposed to gamma irradiation to produce TiO₂ nanoparticles stabilized in cross-linked CMC/PVA hydrogel. The formation of TiO₂ nanoparticles was confirmed by ultra violet/visible (UV/vis) and transmission electron microscopy, and the particle size distribution of the nanoparticles was determined using the dynamic light scattering. The surface morphology of the finished fabrics was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM micrographs revealed that TiO₂ nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of cotton fibers. The antibacterial activity of the treated fabrics loaded with TiO₂ nanoparticles was evaluated against Escherichia coli (Gram -ve) bacteria.