Surface modification of cotton fabrics for antibacterial application by coating with AgNPs–alginate composite

•The goal of this work is the production of cotton fabrics with biocidal properties.•Preparation of colloidal solution of silver nanoparticles by ecological and viable method using sodium alginate.•Physical deposition of AgNPs on the surface of cotton fabrics with/without using binder was achieved.•Characterization of the AgNPs-coated fabrics was carried out through different measurements.•The bactericidal behavior of the coated fabrics was detected by two techniques, quantitative and qualitative techniques.

In recent years nano-sized particles have been focused on bacteriostasis. We investigated antimicrobial activities by applying AgNPs–alginate composite on cotton fabric, using a simple one-step rapid synthetic route by reduction of silver nitrate using alkali hydrolyzed alginate solution which acts as both reducing and capping agent. FTIR spectra, color coordinates, silver content, silver release percent and SEM images of treated fabric samples confirmed the successful physical deposition of AgNPs–alginate composite on the fabric. The treated fabrics demonstrated an excellent antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A slight decrease in the antibacterial feature of the cotton fabrics was observed after successive washings. However, an efficient antibacterial activity still remained on the fabrics.