Characterization and antimicrobial properties of cotton fabric loaded with green synthesized silver nanoparticles

• Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by eco-friendly, safe, and cost effective method using fungal filtrate.
• Antimicrobial formulation encompasses AgNPs and binder was applied to cotton fabric.
• Both AgNPs and treated cotton fabric were characterized.
• The antimicrobial activity of treated fabric was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively.
• Durability of antimicrobial properties was demonstrated after repeated washing cycles.

In the present study, antimicrobial formulations, based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and butyl acrylate binder, were prepared and applied to a cotton fabric, followed by gamma-radiation or thermal curing, to protect it against the undesirable microbial effects. AgNPs were prepared by a biological method, using the biomass filtrate of fungus Alternaria alternata. Nanoparticles were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Besides, the thermal stability, surface morphology, color strength, and mechanical properties of treated fabric were investigated. Treated cotton fabric showed good quantitative and qualitative antimicrobial activity; the bacterial reduction efficiency reached ∼100% for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. They revealed excellent resistance to biodegradation caused by soil microflora. Moreover, they exhibited high durability of the attained antimicrobial activities, even after 20 washing cycles; where they achieved 99.1% and 98.7% reduction of E. coli and S. aureus bacterial counts, respectively.