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. 2024 Mar 8;29(6):1219.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29061219.

Green Method for the Preparation of Durable Superhydrophobic Antimicrobial Polyester Fabrics with Micro-Pleated Structures

Ying Zhao  1 , Kaihong Chen  1 , Jiehui Zhu  1 , Huajie Chen  1 , Yong Xia  1 , Minglin Xu  2 , Liyun Xu  1   3 , Lirong Yao  1   3
Affiliations

Green Method for the Preparation of Durable Superhydrophobic Antimicrobial Polyester Fabrics with Micro-Pleated Structures

Ying Zhao et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

To produce functional protective textiles with minimal environmental footprints, we developed durable superhydrophobic antimicrobial textiles. These textiles are characterized by a micro-pleated structure on polyester fiber surfaces, achieved through a novel plasma impregnation crosslinking process. This process involved the use of water as the dispersion medium, water-soluble nanosilver monomers for antimicrobial efficacy, fluorine-free polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for hydrophobicity, and polyester (PET) fabric as the base material. The altered surface properties of these fabrics were extensively analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The antimicrobial performance of the strains was evaluated using Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. After treatment, the fabrics exhibited enhanced hydrophobic and antimicrobial properties, which was attributed to the presence of a micro-pleated structure and nanosilver. The modified textiles demonstrated a static WCA of approximately 154° and an impressive 99.99% inhibition rate against both test microbes. Notably, the WCA remained above 140° even after 500 washing cycles or 3000 friction cycles.

Keywords: antimicrobial property; micro-pleated structure; plasma; superhydrophobicity; water-soluble nanosilver.

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Conflict of interest statement

Minglin Xu was employed by the “Langfang Feize Composites Technology Co., Ltd.”. The authors declare that this study received funding from “National Key Research and Development Program of China” and “Major Program of Basic Science in Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Province”. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Schematic diagram of the process of preparing robust and durable superhydrophobic antimicrobial fabrics with micro-pleated structures using green methods.
Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Schematic diagram of the preparation process of the nanosilver solution. (b) Schematic diagram of the preparation of the PDMS/Ag-water emulsion. (c) Dispersion state of PDMS and WPU-capped Ag in water. (d) TEM image of the PDMS/Ag-water emulsion. (e,f) Particle size distribution of the PDMS/Ag-water emulsion before and after one hour of resting at room temperature. (g) Zeta potential of the PDMS/Ag-water emulsion.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of the preparation of the PDMS/Ag@PET superhydrophobic antimicrobial polyester fabric.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEM images of (a) pristine polyester fabric, (b) plasma-etched polyester fabric, (c) PDMS@PET fabric, and (d) PDMS/Ag@PET fabric, with magnified views of the fiber surface in the upper right corner and photographs of the corresponding WCA in the lower left corner. Elemental mapping of (e) PDMS@PET fabric and (f) PDMS/Ag@PET fabric images.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) FTIR, (b) TGA, and (c) XPS data of pristine polyester, PDMS@PET, and PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics. (d) Magnification of the area framed in (c). High-resolution (e) Si 2p and (f) Ag 3d spectra of the PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics. High-resolution C1s spectra of the pristine polyester fabric (g), PDMS@PET fabric (h), and PDMS/Ag@PET fabric (i).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation in WCA with respect to the (a) PDMS concentration for the PDMS@PET fabrics and (b) nanosilver content for the PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics at a PDMS concentration of 5 wt.%.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Spray wettability, (b) slip of water droplets on different fabric slopes, and (c) wetting of virgin polyester fabric (white) and PDMS/Ag@PET fabric (yellow) in water (The red circles represent the state of the water droplet at the same moment, and the orange circle is used to highlight the final state of the fabric).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Antimicrobial properties of the PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics. (a) Photographs of E. coli and S. aureus colonies in nutrient agar Petri dishes. (b) Inhibition rate. (c) Schematic diagram of the nanosilver-releasing bactericidal process.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) Effect of the number of washing cycles on the WCA. SEM images and WCA photographs of PDMS/Ag@PET fabric washed (b) 200 times and (c) 500 times. (d) Effect of the number of abrasion cycles on the WCA. SEM images and CA photographs of PDMS/Ag@PET fabric abraded (e) 1000 times and (f) 3000 times. (g) Photographs of droplets on the surface of PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics at different pH values. (h) WCA of water droplet solutions (10 μL) of different pH values on PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics. (i) CA of PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics after 12 h of immersion in different solutions.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Photographs of E. coli and S. aureus colonies in nutrient agar Petri dishes after 100 standard washes of PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Self-cleaning process of virgin polyester fabrics, PDMS @PET fabrics, and PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Tensile properties of the virgin polyester fabric and PDMS/Ag@PET fabrics.
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