Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial study of chitosan–zinc oxide nanocomposite-coated superhydrophobic cotton fabric

Abstract

Awareness of microbial infection, hygiene, and personal health has increased in recent years, particularly in light of the pervasive pandemic encountered by the global community. This has prompted the development of antibacterial and superhydrophobic cotton fabric to address the pressing challenge. In this investigation, we report bio-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using Psidium guajava leaf extract and zinc acetate. Further, the chitosan–ZnO nanocomposite (CS–ZnO) was synthesized and subsequently deposited on cotton fabric (CF) via a facile and cost-effective pad-dry-cure method to produce CS–ZnO-CF. The ZnO NPs, CS–ZnO, and CS–ZnO CF were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDAX, TGA and AFM analysis. Additionally, we investigated the mechanical properties and water contact angle (WCA) of uncoated cotton (UCF) and CS–ZnO CF. The CS–ZnO-CF demonstrated good mechanical stability even after 50 abrasion cycles, good washing durability, and good super-hydrophobicity, with a high WCA (153.1°). The antibacterial study indicated that CS–ZnO and CS–ZnO-CF exhibited higher antibacterial activity than UCF against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. This study introduces a simple, environmentally friendly, and economically scalable method for producing multifunctional CS–ZnO CF, showcasing its potential for diverse applications.