Modification of silica nanoparticles to develop highly durable superhydrophobic and antibacterial cotton fabrics

One of the main limitations to using nanoparticles in textiles is the durability when applied to different textile substrates for various applications. The present work is focused on development of highly durable superhydrophobic and antibacterial cotton fabric. For this, silica nanoparticles have been modified with different concentrations of 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl-N,N,N-dimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride and 3-Glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxy-silane, and applied to cotton fabric using pad-dry-cure method. The modified nanoparticles and treated fabric are analysed using SEM, FTIR, TGA, zeta potential analyser and AFM. Superhydrophobicity has been characterized by measuring water contact angle before and after various washing cycles. The antibacterial activity has been measured by qualitative and quantitative methods. The results show that the fabric retains superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity even after 20 industrial washing cycles while, preserving low stress mechanical and surface properties of the treated fabric.