Properties and antimicrobial efficacy of cellulose fiber coated with silver nanoparticles and 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPTMS)

Silver nanoparticles were coated onto cotton fabrics with 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPTMS). The coating process was accomplished by soaking the cotton fabrics into silver colloid/3‐MPTMS solution at 43°C for 90 min. The coated fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM images showed a layer of silver nanoparticles and 3‐MPTMS on cotton. The XPS data showed that distinguishable binding energy peaks of Ag 3d, Si 2p, Si 2s, S 2p were 368/374, 102, 153, and 162 eV, respectively, which confirms the existence of silver and 3‐MPTMS on cotton fabrics. The treated cotton fabrics showed prominent antimicrobial effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 4352). Furthermore, the laundry test showed that 66% of silver nanoparticles were retained after five washing cycles.