In-Situ Synthesis of CuO/TiO2 Nanocomposite Onto Amine Modified Cotton Fabric for Antibacterial Durability and UV Protection

Abstract

In this research work, we explore antibacterial activity and the UV-protection of cotton fabric functionalized with copper oxide-titanium dioxide nano composites particles (CuO+TiO2 NCPs). Cotton fabrics (Cot) were treated with L-methionine (Am) and functionalized with bimetallic CuO+TiO2 NCPs by pad and rolling technique. Cu(NO3)2 and titanium isopropoxide (TIP) were used as sources of Cu(OH)2 and TiO2 colloid respectively, which were then converted into CuO and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) for making antibacterial and UV-protective cotton. The method yielded a crystallite size of CuO and TiO2 NPs of 18.09 and 32.5 nm, respectively. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, High-resolution scanning electron microscopy-Energy dispersive Spectroscopy (HRSEM), (EDS), X-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and XRD were used to analyze the functional group, morphology, chemical composition, thermal stability and crystalline structure of the functionalized cotton fabric samples. The results showed that an esterification reaction occurred between Am and OH in cotton fabric, which further enhanced the binding of NCPs. AmCot-CuO+TiO2 NCPs exhibit outstanding antibacterial activity against gram-positive S. aureus and gram-negative E. coli. The UV protection factor (UPF) for AmCot-CuO+TiO2 NCPs reached 50+; thus, multifunctional cotton fabrics with excellent antibacterial and anti-ultraviolet properties were obtained.