Functionalization of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics using nitrogen plasma and silk fibroin/chitosan microspheres

Abstract We demonstrate low-temperature nitrogen plasma (LTNP) and silk fibroin/chitosan microspheres (SFCM) for surface modification and functional treatment of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics to improve their antibacterial and antistatic properties. First, PET warp-knitting fabrics were treated by LTNP equipment. Then, the LTNP-treated fabrics were treated by SFCM solution. The surface properties of the PET fabrics, such as morphology, chemical composition, secondary structure, moisture regain, antistatic property, and breathability were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, electrostatic charge decay tester, and automatic air permeability tester. The antibacterial properties of the PET fabrics were measured against. The results showed that the PET fabrics surface was roughened and nitrogen-containing groups were generated after LTNP treatment. Compared to SFCM-treated PET fabrics, the antistatic and hygroscopic properties of the LTNP-SFCM-treated PET fabrics have been significantly improved. The results also revealed that the LTNP-SFCM-treated PET fabrics had excellent antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus (95.2 ± 1.2%) and Escherichia coli (92.1 ± 2.7%), and after washing ten times, the LTNP-SFCM-treated PET fabrics still had a strong antibacterial effect (73.1 ± 1.6%). Our approach can find potential applications for the development of functional textiles with improved antistatic and antibacterial performance.