Utilizing zinc oxide nanoparticles to create fabrics with antibacterial properties

Abstract

An developing field in nanoscience and nanotechnology is the use of materials and structures at the nanoscale, typically 
between 1 and 100 nanometers (nm). Noble metal nanoparticle synthesis is a field of ongoing attention for uses in biology, 
electronics, textiles, environmental protection, and catalysis. Antimicrobial fabrics have recently been developed as a result 
of increased awareness of personal protection, contact disease transmission, and general cleanliness. In this study, zinc oxide 
nanoparticles have been used to manufacture antibacterial cotton textiles. The pad-dry-cure process was used to directly 
apply the ZnO nanoparticles, which were made via a wet chemical method, to the 100% cotton woven fabric. The final 
textiles' antibacterial activity was evaluated quantitatively using the percentage reduction test and qualitatively using the 
parallel streak technique and agar diffusion. The treated and untreated fabrics' topographical analyses were examined and 
contrasted. The final cloth showed strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus in both qualitative and quantitative testing, 
according to the findings. ZnO nanoparticles were embedded in the treated textiles, according to the SEM study. The treated 
cloth was shown to be able to last up to 25 wash cycles in the wash durability research.