Antibacterial cotton fibers treated with silver nanoparticles and quaternary ammonium salts

Cotton fibers were treated chemically with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTAC), a quaternary ammonium salt, and coated with silver nanoparticles/3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-MPTMS) to increase the antibacterial efficacy. The coating process was accomplished by soaking the cotton fibers into a GTAC solution followed by a dry-cure method, and silver colloid/3-MPTMS solution was then applied at 43°C for 90min. The properties of the cotton fibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis. SEM showed a rough surface when the cotton fibers were treated with GTAC/3-MPTMS/silver nanoparticles due to the increasing surface attachment. The existence of silver and 3-MPTMS on the cotton fibers was confirmed by XPS. The cotton fibers treated with both GTAC and silver nanoparticles showed synergistic antibacterial properties against P. aeruginosa.