Antibacterial Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric with Photothermal, Self-Cleaning, and Ultraviolet Protection Functionalities

Abstract

Cotton fabrics with superhydrophobic, antibacterial, UV protection, and photothermal properties were developed using Ag/PDMS coatings, and the role of coating formulations on the obtained functionalities was studied. Specific attention was paid to understanding the relationships between the fabrics’ superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. UV protection performance of Ag/PDMS coatings was thoroughly evaluated based on the variation of UV transmission rate through coated fabrics and photoinduced chemiluminescence spectra. Moreover, the effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and PDMS on developing a photothermal effect on fabrics was discussed. It was found that the content of Ag NPs and PDMS played critical roles in determining the water contact angle (WCA) on modified fabrics. The largest WCA was 171.31°, which was durable even after numerous accelerated wash cycles and abrasions. Antibacterial activity of fabrics showed the positive effect of pure PDMS in bacterial growth inhibition. Moreover, it was found that the antibacterial performance was greatly affected by the content of Ag NPs loaded on fabrics rather than their superhydrophobic status. Moreover, increasing the content of Ag NPs boosted the UV protection level of fabrics, improved fabrics photostability, and reduced the UV transmission rate through fabrics. Testing the photothermal effect confirmed that the content of Ag NPs and PDMS both played prominent roles, where Ag acted as a photothermal agent and PDMS determined the NIR reflection rate from the coated surface. The modified fabrics were characterized using TGA, SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques, and it was confirmed that using a higher amount of PDMS increased the amount of Ag NPs deposition on fabrics.

Photothermal Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric Based on Silver Nanoparticles Cross-Linked by Polydopamine and Polyethylenimide

“…As one of the outdoor photothermal materials, the photothermal cotton fabrics have the potential to be used in the fields of evaporation acceleration, water purification, cold field, and human thermal management. The interaction of photothermal cotton fabric with polluted liquids under outdoor circumstances may easily lead to undesirable functionality degeneration or bacterial infections . Besides, the sediment on the surface may impact the absorption of sunlight directly.…”

Highly Antibacterial and Self-Healing Janus Fabric for Effective Body Moisture/Thermal Management and Durable Waterproof

“…Fabrics are widely used in a variety of environments where the attachment of microbial pathogens can pose a potential threat to human health. − Several types of antimicrobial agents, including metallic particles, have been approved for use on fabrics, − but there are cases where the antimicrobial ability weakens and disappears over time. In comparison to the addition of easily leached antimicrobial agents, composites with excellent antimicrobial properties can be achieved by introducing antimicrobial functional groups, such as the quaternary ammonium group, into polymer molecules during the synthesis of polymeric quaternary ammonium antimicrobial polymers. − The presence of a dense and uniform distribution of E. coli colonies and S.…”

Rational design and easy fabrication of transparent photothermal/hygroscopic composite coatings with long-lasting antifogging performance under sunlight activation

“…18–21 Common photothermal materials encompass carbon materials (carbon nanotubes, 22 graphene and its derivatives, 23,24 etc . ), plasmonic metallic nanoparticles like those of Au and Ag, 25–27 black metal oxides (ferric oxide, 28,29 copper oxide, 30 etc . ), and black polymers such as polydopamine 31 and polypyrrole.…”