Screening the UV‐blocking and antimicrobial properties of herbal nanoparticles prepared from Aloe vera leaves for textile applications

Abstract

Nanomaterials play a vital role in textile industries due to their unique properties and applications. There is an increase in the use of nanoscale phyto products in textiles to control the bacterial infection in fabrics. Here, natural herbal nanoparticles of different sizes were prepared from shade-dried plant leaves using ball milling technique without any additives. The amorphous herbal nanoparticles possess an average particle size of 40 ± 2 nm and UV-absorption maximum at 269 nm. nanopowders-chitosan nanocomposites were prepared and coated on cotton fabrics using pad-dry cure method. The evaluation of antibacterial activity against (22.05 ± 0.06 mm) and (27.17 ± 0.02 mm), UV-protection properties (UV-protection factor = 57.2 ± 0.1), and superhydrophobic nature (155 ± 3°) of the prepared herbal nanoparticles and their composites were analysed by disc diffusion, UV-visible spectral analysis, and contact angle analysis. Understanding the functional properties of herbal nanoparticles, coated particles on fabrics highlights their potential applications in protective clothing with better antimicrobial properties, hydrophobicity, and UV-protection properties. This study of using herbal nanoparticles in textiles significantly enhances the fabric performance to develop protective textile fabrics in defence and biomedical fields.

Nanomaterials for UV protective textiles

“…Durability of UPF value for the herbal nanoparticle extracted from Aloe vera, treated cotton fabric has been studied by Subramani et al Nanoparticles were applied on the textiles surface by coating with chitosan. UPF of washed fabric has been slightly decreased (7-10%) for fifth and tenth washing cycles due to the removal of coating materials [96]. In an another study, Subramani et al reported similar result for the UPF after washing, when the fabric has been treated with nanoparticle extracted from natural extract such as Azadirachta indica (neem) [97].…”

Durable surface functionalisation and pigment coloration of cellulosic fabrics using bioactive additives

“…Moreover, the remarkable improvement in both the coloration and functionalisation properties (UV‐protection function and antibacterial efficacy of the fabricated samples), could be discussed in terms of the positive impact of the used bioactive materials on: (a) enhancing the extent of binder film formation, pigment colourant fixation, and other ingredients onto the fabric surface during the thermofixation (darker depth of shade), (b) upgrading the UV‐protection capability of a simultaneously coloured and functionalised fabric surface by increasing the extent of absorption, reflection, scattering and/or blocking the harmful UV‐radiation, because of the presence of active phytochemical constituents, 40 and (c) increasing the antibacterial efficacy of the treated substrates by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria because of bioactive constituents and antibacterial effects, 41‐43 keeping other parameters fixed.…”

Materials in advanced design of personal protective equipment: a review

“…However, chemical reactions are usually accompanied with the conformational change, which could release detrimental chemicals and ROS, leading to the harm to the human skin. Besides, the UPF for organic UV shields is usually below 100, which is inferior to the inorganic ones 88 , 89 .…”