Multifunctional coatings created using an antimicrobial polymer as a platform for titania precipitation on cotton

Titania precipitation on cotton has been achieved using a commercially available antimicrobial polymer, Reputex 20. The cotton swatches precipitated with titania retain antimicrobial activity, and we have also shown the ability to encapsulate diisopropylfluorophosphatase (DFPase), an enzyme capable of breaking down organofluorophosphates. Cotton swatches are easily prepared and precipitation occurs at room temperature in aqueous solutions at neutral pH. Both the antimicrobial properties of Reputex 20 and the hydrolytic activity of the DFPase enzyme are retained after titania precipitation, generating a cotton material exhibiting multifunctional properties. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43199.     

Sustained‐release properties of cotton fabrics impregnated with nanotuberose fragrance

Tuberose‐fragrance (TF) loaded polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles were successfully prepared via emulsion polymerization. The nanotuberose fragrance (Nano‐TF) was directly impregnated into the cotton fabrics as an aromatic reagent. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy showed that the average size of the spherical Nano‐TF was 202.4 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that TF was encapsulated into the BCA nanoparticles and that the Nano‐TF was in existence in the cotton fabrics. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the loading TF content of the Nano‐TF was 50.9% and that 10.02% Nano‐TF had been impregnated into the fabrics. A lot of Nano‐TF was adhered onto the surface of the cotton fabrics after 50 washings, as shown by scanning electron microscopy and gas chromatography/hydrogen flame ionization detection (GC–FID). In addition, GC–FID demonstrated that most aroma compounds of the cotton fabrics impregnated with Nano‐TF only lost less than 20% of their aroma after 60 days of deposition and around 75% of their aroma after 6 h of deposition at 120°C, so they showed better sustained‐release properties than those with TF. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41678.     

Wear‐resistant cotton fabrics modified by PU coatings prepared via mist polymerization

Cotton fabric was successfully modified using a simple mist polymerization with polyurethane (PU) prepolymer and ethylene glycol as the monomers. Scanning electron microscope showed the presence of a very thin polymer coating on the cotton fiber surface. Martindale abrasion tests revealed that the thin PU coating imparted to the cotton fabric a doubled wearing durability compared with the original fabric. Additional experiments demonstrated that the mist polymerization has little impact on the desired cotton properties such as water absorptivity, vapor transmissibility, mechanical property, and flexibility. Considering the excellent balance between the enhanced abrasion resistance and the cotton natures, this surface modification methodology has potential to fabricate wearing durable textiles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43024.     

Preparation of fluorescent pigment latex and its application on binder‐free printing of cotton fabrics

The recognized disadvantages of pigment printing are the stiff hand feel owing to the large particle size of the binder and pigments and the crosslinked binder introducing rigidity. In the current study, fluorescent pigment latex (FPL) was prepared via mini‐emulsion polymerization and further applied on cotton fabric printing in the absence of binder. The mini‐emulsions were prepared by dispersing the fluorescein in the monomers methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) with DNS‐86 as emulsifier, hexadecane as co‐emulsifier, and ammonium persulfate as initiator. The Fourier‐transform infrared‐attenuated total refraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the fluorescein was successfully encapsulated into P(MMA‐co‐BA) and the polymer content was 91.22%. The surface morphology study revealed that compact and smooth film was formed onto the surface of FPL printings, which resulted in better hand feel and rubbing fastness as compared to the conventional printings with a large amount of binder. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45826.     

Effect of plasma duty cycle on silver nanoparticles loading of cotton fabrics for durable antibacterial properties

A facile method for strongly anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto cotton fabrics was reported. It consists in loading AgNPs onto the cotton fiber preliminary coated with maleic anhydride plasma polymer layer. This results in hydrolyzis and ring opening of anhydride groups followed by electrovalent bonding of silver ions and reduction in NaBH₄. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze changes in the surface chemical composition and morphology of the plasma modified fibers. The presence of AgNPs was confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. Remarkably, varying plasma duty cycle for plasma polymer deposition allowed tailoring the amount of loaded AgNPs. The highest amount of AgNPs was obtained with the lowest duty cycle values. Qualitative tests showed that silver containing plasma modified cotton displays significant antibacterial activity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41279.     

Antibacterial functionalization of cotton fabrics by electric‐beam irradiation

An N‐halamine precursor monomer, 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinyl acrylate (TMPA), was synthesized and successfully grafted onto cotton fibers via an impregnation process (IP) and electron‐beam irradiation (EB). The grafted cotton fibers could provide antibacterial efficacy after chlorination through a dilute sodium hypochlorite solution. The antibacterial efficacy was challenged against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The cotton fibers grafted with TMPA and acrylic acid by EB inactivated all of the bacteria within 30 min of contact, whereas the samples grafted with TMPA via an IP could not completely kill the bacteria with 60 min. The breaking strength and UVA light stability also improved significantly. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42023.     

Enhancement in electrical conductive property of polypyrrole‐coated cotton fabrics using cationic surfactant

Recently, great efforts have been made to gain highly conductive fabrics for smart textiles and flexible electromagnetic shielding materials. Different from the conventional chemical synthesis method, fibrillar polypyrrole was synthesized on the cotton fabrics via a simple chemical polymerization process with micelles of cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) as soft template. The modified cotton fabric exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness due to the formation of fibrillar polypyrrole on the fiber surface. Electrical conductivity of fabric surface were studied by four‐probe resistivity system. The highly conductive fabric with surface conductivity of 5.8 S cm^?1 could be obtained by changing cationic surfactant concentration. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the modified fabrics was evaluated by the vector network analyzer instrument. Compared with the sample without using surfactant, the EMI SE value of PPy‐coated cotton fabrics increased by 28% after using 0.03 M CTAB as soft template. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43601.     

Fabricating durable,fluoride‐free,water repellency cotton fabrics with CPDMS

The demand for fluoride‐free and durable hydrophobic cotton fabric is dramatically increasing due to environmental and human safety concerns. The current approach to produce water repellent cotton fabrics is applying fluorocarbon compounds in topical treatments. However, the fluorocarbons employed in the water repellent treatments on cotton fabrics have environmental concerns and environmentally friendly technologies are desperately sought. Herein, we report a new approach of fabricating water repellent cotton fabrics with proper washing durability by using poly{dimethylsiloxane‐co‐[2‐(3,4‐epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl]methylsiloxane} (CPDMS) as a hydrophobic agent. Benefiting from formation of robust ether bonds between CPDMS and celluloses, the cotton fabrics could gain promising durability for daily laundry. The resultant cotton fabrics demonstrated simultaneously desired waterproofness (hydrostatic pressure up to 22 mbar), durability (hydrostatic pressure stabled at 12 mbar after five laundry cycles), and breathability. Moreover, the CPDMS modified cotton fabrics also exhibited robust physical property with tensile strength retention up to 73%. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46396.     

The influence of coating with aminopropyl triethoxysilane and CuO/Cu2O nanoparticles on antimicrobial activity of cotton fabrics under dark conditions

A novel impregnation process for the fabrication of cotton nanocomposite with strong antimicrobial activity against antibiotics-resistant bacteria and yeast was developed. The impregnation process includes the sol–gel treatment of fabric with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane in the first step, and synthesis of the CuO/Cu₂O nanoparticles (NPs) on the fabric surface in the second step. The in situ synthesis of the CuO/Cu₂O NPs was based on the adsorption of Cu²⁺-ions by the introduced amino groups of the sol–gel coating. The adsorbed Cu²⁺-ions are subsequently reduced in the alkaline solution of NaBH₄. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed the formation of CuO/Cu₂O NPs. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry analyses indicate that the particle size, agglomeration, and amounts of synthesized NPs were highly affected by the initial concentration of CuSO₄ solution. The toxicity of nanocomposites to human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli ATCC BAA 2469, and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC BAA 2146, and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, S. aureus ATCC 43300 and yeast Candida albicans ATCC 24433 strongly depended on the copper content. In addition to excellent antimicrobial activity, controlled release of Cu²⁺-ions from the fabrics into physiological saline solution was obtained.     

A facile one‐step synthesis of flame‐retardant coatings on cotton fabric via ultrasound irradiation

This article reports a facile one‐step methodology to increase fire resistance properties of cotton fabric. The flame‐retardant coating for cotton fabric was synthesized with methyltriethoxysilane and organophosphates (M102B) through an ultrasound irradiation process. The coating structure and surface morphology of uncoated and coated fabrics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The flame‐retardant properties, bending modulus, air permeability and thermal stability were studied by vertical burning test, cantilever method, air permeability test and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). As a result, the cotton fabric coated with 29.2% (mass increased) of flame‐retardant coating was able to balance the flame retardant property and wearing comfort of the fabrics. The TGA results showed that the residue char of cotton was greatly enhanced after treatment with the coating, which has a high char forming effect on cellulose during testing. Furthermore, flame‐retardant property of coated fabrics did not change significantly after 10 washing cycles. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45114.     

Durable flame‐retardant and antidroplet finishing of polyester fabrics with flexible polysiloxane and phytic acid through layer‐by‐layer assembly and sol–gel process

A three‐layer functional coating was prepared through layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly and a sol–gel process. The multilayered coating was composed of a phytic acid (PA) coating dipped between two layers of flexible polysiloxane coatings and was deposited on the polyester fabric by LbL assembly. Flammability tests indicated that the multilayer coating prevented droplet generation during combustion. The PA also absorbed the reactive free radicals to reduce the flame‐burning rate. After being soaked for only 20 min in PA solution, the fabric exhibited self‐extinguishing properties and antidroplet effect during the vertical flame test, while cone calorimetry confirmed that the coated fabric exhibited a 65% decrease in the peak heat release rate and reduced the total amount of smoke released by 72%. After washing the coated fabric 45 times, there was no significant decrease in the phosphorus content and the limiting oxygen index of coated fabrics. Thus, the coating synthesized in this study is an effective method of constructing durable, functional coatings on the surface of fabrics. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46414.     

Synthesis of a melamine‐cyclotriphosphazene derivative and its application as flame retardant on cotton gauze

The halogen‐free flame retardance of natural fiber is an everlasting challenge due to the well‐known poor solubility of phosphazene in water. In this case, a new cyclotriphosphazene derivative (MCP) was synthesized. It was etherized hexamethylolmelamine (HMMM) and hexachloro‐cyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) by one pot reaction. It was characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ³¹P NMR, FT‐IR, TGA, SEM, limited oxygen index (LOI) and vertical flame testing. The MCP has good solubility in water and thermosetting MCP has compact structure which can expand several times after burning. Cotton gauze was soaked in six different concentration of aqueous solutions of MCP (0 wt %, 5 wt %, 10 wt %, 15 wt %, 20 wt % and 25 wt %, respectively) to obtain the flame retardant cloth. The cloth was soaked in 20 wt % MCP solution had higher char yield and LOI. They had no any afterflame and afterglow, and gauze 2‐ gauze 5 cannot be burned out in 12s ignition time. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43555.     

Utility of silver‐coated fabrics as electrodes in electrotherapy applications

The present study deals with the deposition of silver particles onto knitted fabrics for possible applications in electrotherapy. The performance of silver‐coated fabrics was evaluated based on number of properties such as electrical conductivity, physiological comfort, antibacterial, and durability. Furthermore, the conductive fabrics were subjected to various repeated extensions and change in electrical resistivity was examined to simulate the performance of electrodes under various movements of human body. With increase in extension till 80%, very small change in volume electrical resistance was observed and after 90% extension, the electrical resistance was found to increase significantly. The volume resistance was found to remain constant for repeated extensions of over 100 cycles and also there was insignificant change in electrical resistivity when constant current was applied over prolonged time. The utility of silver‐coated fabrics can be expected as flexible textile electrodes in transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation electrotherapy applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46357.     

Enhancing electrical conductivity and electrical stability of polypyrrole-coated cotton fabrics via surface microdissolution

High electrical conductivity and electrical stability play a significant role in building the component devices of wearable electronics textiles. In this study, an implementable and effective approach was established that involved successive steps of surface microdissolution and in situ polymerization of pyrrole on fabric surfaces. The cotton fabrics were pretreated using a NaOH/urea aqueous solution system at low temperature so as to add more adsorption sites to the surface and obtain a rough surface. Then more polypyrrole was firmly deposited on the surface of the cotton fabrics. The results showed that the treated fabrics had a lower surface resistance of 1.98 Ω/sq, and the value was almost unchanged after 10 washing cycles. The dry rubbing fastness degree of the treated fabrics can reach 4 grades, and good flexibility was maintained under different bending states. Higher electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the treated cotton fabrics (15.4–62.9 dB) at a frequency range from 1 to 3000 MHz and excellent ultraviolet protection performance could be obtained, which can provide a theoretical reference for the design and research of flexible wearable electrode materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47515.     

Antimicrobial polyethylene terephthalate (PET) treated with an aromatic N‐halamine precursor,m‐aramid

A commercial m‐aramid as N‐halamine precursor has been coated onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric surface by pad‐dry‐curing process. The process is accomplished by padding the scoured PET fabric through the homogeneous m‐aramid solution, drying at 150°C for 3 min, and curing at 230°C for 3 min. The PET surface coated with m‐aramid was characterized using fourier transform infrared‐attenuated total reflection (FTIR‐ATR) spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR exhibits new bands in the 1645 and 1524 cm^?1 regions as characteristic of m‐aramid bands, which indicate the PET fabric coated with m‐aramid. XPS results show a distinguishable peak at binding energy 398.7 eV, which confirms the nitrogen atom of m‐aramid on the PET surface. In addition, SEM image shows a layer of coating onto the PET surfaces, which demonstrates the presence of m‐aramid coating on the surface of the PET. After exposure to dilute sodium hypochlorite solution, exhibition of antimicrobial activity on the coated PET is attributed to the conversion of N‐halamine moieties from the N‐halamine precursor. The chlorinated PET showed high antimicrobial activity against Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. The chlorinated PET coated with 10% m‐aramid exhibited about 6 log reductions of S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 at a contact time of 10 and 30 min, respectively. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity was durable and rechargeable after 25 wash cycles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Temperature‐sensitive poly(N‐tert‐butylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide) hydrogels bonded on cotton fabrics by coating technique

Different from the conventional method of developing stimuli‐sensitive textiles by graft copolymerization of environmental responsive polymers onto the fabric, the coating technique was applied to bond temperature‐sensitive hydrogels with cotton fabric through chemical covalent in our work. A temperature‐sensitive linear copolymer of N‐tert‐butylacrylamide (NTBA) and acrylamide (AAm) was prepared in methanol. Then, the cotton fabrics were coated using an aqueous solution of this copolymer containing 1,2,3,4‐butanetertracarboxylic acid as a crosslinker and sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as a catalyst, followed by drying and curing. The surface of the cotton fabrics was bonded on more or less coatings of poly (NTBA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels, as verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy images. The poly(NTBA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels‐coated fabrics exhibited temperature sensitive, and the temperature interval of the deswelling transition was higher than lower critical solution temperature of linear copolymer solution. The coated fabrics presented good water‐impermeable ability because of the swelling of hydrogels bonded, especially when the add‐on was as high as 14.14%. Environmental scanning electron microscopy images revealed that coating hydrogels swelled and covered on the surface as a barrier to prevent water from penetrating once the coated fabric came into contact with water. The findings demonstrate that the temperature‐sensitive hydrogels can be covalently bonded on the cotton fabrics by coating technique and the coated fabrics have potential on immersion fabrics. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis of pyridinium polysiloxane for antibacterial coating in supercritical carbon dioxide

Antibacterial polysiloxane with pyridinium pendants was synthesized through hydrosilylation reaction of trimethylsiloxane terminated (45% methylhydrosiloxane)–dimethylsiloxane random copolymer and 4‐vinylpyridine and subsequent N‐alkylation of pyridine ring with 1‐bromohexane. The pyridinium polysiloxane was coated on cotton and formed a 35 nm layer via a novel method of deposition in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) for biocidal application. The coated fabrics provided effective antibacterial activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli compared with uncoated ones that did not exhibit noticeable biocidal activities. The pyridinium polysiloxane coating layer on cotton was stable toward storage in air and washing cycles. The scCO₂ deposition technique uses ecologically responsible CO₂ as solvent and is hypothesized to work on both reactive and nonreactive surfaces due to without the use of covalent tethering groups. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41723.     

Microwave‐assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles on cotton fabric modified with 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane

In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized on cotton fabric modified with 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) using sodium citrate as a reducing/stabilizing agent by microwave‐assisted process. The presence of a highly oriented amino‐terminated self‐assembled monolayer and formation of APTMS was demonstrated by an X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The silver‐coated cotton fabrics were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX). UV protection, antistatic, and hydrophobic properties were also evaluated. The results show that silver‐coated fabric modified with APTMS possesses excellent antistatic, UV protection with ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 396.5 and superhydrophobic properties with contact angle of 153.2°. APTMS pretreatment improves the adhesive strength between silver coatings and cotton fabric. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3862–3868, 2013     

N‐(hydroxymethyl) acrylamide as a multifunctional finish to cotton and a tether for grafting methacrylamide for biocidal coatings

N‐(hydroxymethyl) acrylamide (NMA) was immobilized on cotton surfaces through etherification, and then methacrylamide (MA) was grafted onto the treated surface. The coatings were characterized by ATR‐IR spectroscopy and were rendered biocidal upon exposure to dilute household bleach. The treated fabrics were challenged with Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria; both NMA and NMA/MA‐treated fabrics inactivated about 8 logs of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus within only 5 min of contact time. The coatings were also quite stable toward ultraviolet (UVA) light exposure and repeated laundering. Moreover, a substantial improvement in wrinkle recovery angle was obtained for the NMA/MA‐treated fabrics. The new acyclic acrylamide N‐halamine coating should be less expensive to produce and use than previous cyclic N‐halamine coatings developed in these laboratories. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis of hydroxyethylcellulose‐g‐methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) copolymer and its application for protein separation in CE

Hydroxyethylcellulose‐g‐methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) (HEC‐g‐PEG) graft copolymers were synthesized through the etherification reaction between the hydroxyl group of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and iodinated methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) (PEG‐I), which was prepared on the basis of two‐step reaction. Fourier transforms infrared spectrum (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and iodide oxidation method were used to prove the success of synthesis of graft copolymer. Furthermore, the comparative studies of electro‐osmotic flow (EOF) and protein separation in bare‐fused silica, HEC and HEC‐g‐PEG‐coated capillary were performed in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The results showed that HEC‐g‐PEG‐coated capillary presented efficient EOF suppression ability and excellent resisting protein adsorption ability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013