The successful development of multifunctional cotton fabrics with antimicrobial and
antiviral activities is essential to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and
transmission of coronavirus virions today, especially with the emergence of new variants
of SARS-CoV-2. In this work, we developed antimicrobial cotton fabrics with
Ag/TiO
2
nanoparticles synthesized via sonochemistry. Here, we show that
more than 50% of infectious SARS-CoV-2 remain active after prolonged direct contact
self-disinfecting materials capable of inhibiting the proliferation of
Escherichia coli
and
Staphylococcus aureus
. The
findings bring several epidemiologic worries about using silver and TiO
2
as
self-disinfecting nanostructured agents to prevent coronavirus transmission.
Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide with intrinsic antimicrobial properties that can be used as an ecological alternative to develop functional materials to inhibit the proliferation of microorganisms. This work evaluates chitosan nanocapsules (CNs) as a self-disinfecting agent to provide bactericidal activity on cotton fabrics (CF), using polyacrylate to bind the CNs on the CF surface. The fabrics were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle (CA), moisture retention, and antimicrobial tests against
Escherichia coli
and
Bacillus subtilis
. The FTIR results showed new peaks related to chitosan structure, indicating the adequate fixation of the CNs on the cotton fibers. SEM images corroborated the polyacrylate binder's efficient adhesion, connecting the CNs and the cotton fiber surface. The CF surface properties were considerably modified, while CN/polyacrylate coating promoted antibacterial activity against the
B. subtilis
(gram-positive bacteria) for the developed wipe, but they do not display bactericidal effects against
E. coli
(gram-negative bacteria).
Graphical abstract
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11998-023-00761-y.
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