Evaluation of Ultrasonically ZnO Loading Effect on Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning, UV Protection and Antibacterial Activity of Plasma/Citric Acid-Activated Cotton Fabric

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were loaded over non-thermal plasma (P1) and citric acid (P2)-functionalized cotton fabrics using a room temperature sonification process. The cotton samples were pretreated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma and citric acid to introduce some reactive moieties on the fabric to enhance the adhesion power of ZnO nanoparticles with an average particle size of 41 nm. The nanoparticles were dispersed homogeneously on the surface of the P1 sample, which enhanced the antibacterial, UV protection and photocatalytic self-cleaning characteristics of ZnO-loaded fabric. The self-cleaning efficiency of P1 and P2 samples was measured to be about 77% and 63%, respectively. The inhibition zones of 5.5 mm and 5.4 mm were produced by sample P1 against E. coli and S. aureusbacteria, respectively, which were slightly higher than the inhibition zones produced by sample P2. The inhibition zone of the samples roughly decreased by 17% after performing 10 wash cycles. The unloaded cotton fabric had a UPF value of 70.02 units and blocking percentage of 70.92% and 76.54% for UVA and UVB radiations, respectively. The UVA-blocking capacity of samples P1 and P2 was 95.27% and 91.22, respectively. Similarly, the UVB blocking capacity was 94.11% and 92.65%, respectively. The pre-coating plasma treatment was found to be helpful in improving the UV-blocking ability of ZnO-loaded cotton fabric.

Advancing Antimicrobial Textiles: A Comprehensive Study on Combating ESKAPE Pathogens and Ensuring User Safety

“…Consistent with the existing literature [54][55][56][57][58], our research findings highlight the outstanding antimicrobial activity of silver nitrate, zinc chloride, and tea tree oil, showing remarkable efficacy against all three bacterial strains. The observed percentages of antimicrobial activity are comparable to or higher than those reported in the literature for antimicrobial textiles targeting Gram-negative E. coli and K. pneumonia, as well as Gram-positive MRSA [51,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65]. However, it is important to note that our results revealed a discrepancy in effectiveness, with HM4005 and HM4072 exhibiting high efficacy (>80% bacterial reduction) against the tested Gram-negative bacteria species but demonstrating minimal activity against Gram-positive MRSA (0% and 25% bacterial reduction for HM4005 and HM4072, respectively).…”

“…Consistent with the existing literature [54][55][56][57][58], our research findings highlight the outstanding antimicrobial activity of silver nitrate, zinc chloride, and tea tree oil, showing remarkable efficacy against all three bacterial strains. The observed percentages of antimicrobial activity are comparable to or higher than those reported in the literature for antimicrobial textiles targeting Gram-negative E. coli and K. pneumonia, as well as Gram-positive MRSA [51,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65]. However, it is important to note…”

Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Processing and Sr-Doped ZnO/CNT Photocatalyst Decoration of Cotton Fabrics for Self-Cleaning Application

“…The plasma-induced cracks and pits due to the etching effect also enhance the adsorption and stability of nanoparticles on the fabric . The induction of the functional groups (−COOH and –OH) on the fabric shows a strong electrostatic interaction with the photocatalyst particles. − The photocatalyst coating was found to be denser and more homogeneous over plasma-processed fabrics than over unprocessed fabrics.…”

“…The color pixel difference was used to check the degradation of 0.05% MB dye solution after 15 h of reaction time under sunlight. Irfan et al worked on ultrasonically ZnO loading of plasma-citric acid-modified cotton fabric for self-cleaning, antibacterial, and UV protection activities. They achieved a methylene blue dye degradation efficiency of 77% using ZnO-loaded fabric.…”

Sustainable Development of ZnO Nanostructure Doping with Water Hyacinth-Derived Activated Carbon for Visible-Light Photocatalysis

“…Additionally, the remaining concentration to initial concentration (C t /C 0 ) ratios of MB solutions were plotted comparatively, as shown in Figure 2 a, to determine the optimum photocatalyst. The degradation efficiency (DE), which corresponds to the ratio of decomposition to the initial MB molecules, was calculated using Equation (1) [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. DE (%) = (1 − (C t /C 0 )) × 100% …”