The preparation and antibacterial effects of dopa-cotton/AgNPs

► The cotton fabric was coated with a thin adherent polydopamine membrane. ► Ag+ was in situ reduced to Ag0 nanoparticles and carried out on the polydopamine. ► Dopamine as a kind of biomolecules was utilized as the binding agent and reductant. ► The cotton fabrics with silver nanoparticles showed durable antibacterial activity.