Colored Antimicrobial Protective Clothing Produced by Dopamine-Based AgNPs Generation Method

Abstract

The world health systems remain under stress due to increasing transmissible diseases, surge in viral infections, consistently raising micro-/nano-contaminants in the environment and spore which necessitated preventive measures for protection, health, and public safety. The use of personnel protection clothing (PPC), i.e., masks, hoods, aprons, scrubs, gloves, and protective suits for this purpose and research in the domain for more effective, efficient, and sustainable PPC has extensively grown. The research presents a sustainable strategy for production of colored antimicrobial PPC for protection and safety from transmissible infectious diseases. Emergence of viral diseases such as SARS, MERS, Swine Flu, and COVID19, and so on raised alarm for world health system and necessitated the needs for robust preventive measures against the transmissible infectious diseases. The development of antimicrobial protective clothing aims to ensure biosafety from rapidly spreading infectious diseases. In addition to protection, the PPCs are required to be esthetically appealing thus their coloration is necessary. Conventionally, the coloration processes require extensive use of dyes, pigments, chemicals and resources, efforts, energy, and additional capital demanding steps. The suggested cost-effective and eco-friendly antimicrobial dyeing solely by AgNPs saves these resources and ensures environmental sustainability as well. The procedure imparted color to clothing and endowed antimicrobial characteristics demonstrating effectiveness against the liquid droplet, carrier, and/or direct transmission of pathogenic microbial species. The Bmb-AgNP1, Bmb-AgNP2, Bmb-AgNP3, Bmb-AgNP4, and Bmb-AgNP5 were produced using 0.1 M, 0.15 M, 0.2 M, 0.25 M, and 0.3 M concentrations of the AgNO3 during AgNP generation step which produced light brown to dark brown color on fabric. Successive increase of silver salt concentrations turned the samples darker (decreased *L), redder (increased *a value), and yellower (increased *b value), increased chroma and K/S values. The XRD and EDS results confirmed AgNP generation. The antimicrobial properties investigated by relative cell viability (%) and disk diffusion methods showed very good antimicrobial properties of the clothing in the liquid media as well as on the agar plates. The Bmb-AgNP samples showed relative cell viabilities of 13% and 15.15% against the E. coli and S. aureus strains, respectively. Furthermore, the dopamine coating and subsequent AgNP generation improved tensile strength, crease resistance, and water absorption along with an insignificant increase in flexural rigidity and weight. The research findings confirmed the production of colored PPC using generated AgNP as colorants for varying PPC applications. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)