Using microwave irradiation to catalyze the in-situ manufacturing of silver nanoparticles on cotton fabric for antibacterial and UV-protective application

Antibacterial and UV-protective cotton fabrics were produced with an in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles using trisodium citrate as reductive agent and microwave irradiation for starting the synthesis reaction. The creation of silver nanoparticles with different morphologies such as quasi-spherical and cubic nanoparticles was confirmed by the SEM images. The EDS pattern of the loaded sample confirmed the uniform silver loading on the surface of cotton fibers as well as their crystal structure was approved by the X-ray diffraction pattern. Increasing reaction temperature (80, 100, 120, and 140 °C) caused a significant decrease up to 75% in the average diameter of nanoparticles and narrowing the size distribution. Also, increasing amounts of trisodium citrate (0, 100, 200, and 400 ppm) in the synthesizing solution resulted in a decrease up to of 59% in the average diameter and prevented agglomeration of nanoparticles. The FTIR spectra confirmed that the highest absorbed water in the loaded cotton samples was achieved in the highest concentration of trisodium citrate. The antibacterial properties of loaded cotton samples significantly depended on the reaction temperature as well as trisodium citrate concentration. The loaded cotton fabrics showed active antibacterial properties with inhibition zones of 16–18.5 mm against the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Moreover, the prepared AgNP cotton fabrics demonstrated excellent UV-rays blocking properties with a high rate of ultraviolet protection factor value.