In situ synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles on plasma treated cotton fabric utilizing durable antibacterial activity

In this research work, ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were in situ synthesized by the sonochemical method at room temperature on both untreated and plasma pre-treated cotton woven fabric. Air plasma was used for pre-functionalization of cotton fabric. And the effect of plasma pre-functionalization on the adhesion properties between ZnO nanoparticles and the cotton surface were studied.The results show that nanoparticles with average sizes of 20–90 nm with different morphologies have been created on the surface of samples. Characterization studies were carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Inductive coupled plasma (ICP). The antibacterial activities of the fabrics were assessed by the colonies count method. The results show that the finished fabric demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus in the antibacterial test. The wash fastness of both untreated and plasma pre-treated samples after 30 times of washing was investigated. The results showed that the parameters of plasma reactor play a very important role in improving the antibacterial durability.