New approach to antibacterial treatment of cotton fabric with silver nanoparticle-doped silica using sol-gel process

In this study, cotton fabric was successfully modified to have an antibacterial property through use of the sol-gel process. Dodecanethiol-capped silver nanoparticles, which have powerful antibacterial activity, were incorporated in silica sol. The starting materials were silver nitrate, tetraoctylammonium bromide, sodium borohydride, chloroform, 1-dodecanethiol, ethanol, tetraethylorthosilicate, and water. The cotton fabric was padded with dodecanethiol-capped silver nanoparticle-doped sol, dried at 60°C, and cured at 150°C. Scanning electron microscopy showed a uniform and continuous layer of doped sol on the fiber surface. The antibacterial effects of the treated cotton fabric against Escherichia coli were examined and found to be excellent.