The Chitosan Implementation into Cotton and Polyester/Cotton Blend Fabrics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Chemistry
• Applied Microbiology

Background:

• Chitosan offers eco-friendly antimicrobial textile properties.
• Durable chitosan binding to textiles is crucial for longevity during care processes.
• Conventional crosslinkers like glutaraldehyde are hazardous; eco-friendly alternatives are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop durable antimicrobial properties in cotton (CO) and polyester/cotton (PES/CO) fabrics using chitosan.
• To ensure the antimicrobial efficacy persists through multiple washing cycles for hospital applications.
• To investigate eco-friendly crosslinking methods for chitosan on textiles.

Main Methods:

• Chitosan was dissolved in citric acid with sodium hydrophosphite (SHP) catalyst.
• CO and PES/CO fabrics underwent NaOH pretreatment for fiber modification, followed by chitosan finishing.
• Fabric characterization included FE-SEM, FTIR-ATR, EKA, tensile testing, and antimicrobial assays after multiple wash cycles (ISO 6330:2012).

Main Results:

• NaOH pretreatment enhanced cotton cellulose structure and polyester hydrolysis, improving mechanical properties.
• Chitosan particles were successfully integrated into both cotton fibers and the polyester component of PES/CO blends.
• Chitosan presence decreased after five washes, but significant antimicrobial activity persisted.

Conclusions:

• The developed chitosan treatment provides durable antimicrobial properties to CO and PES/CO fabrics.
• The eco-friendly approach using citric acid and NaOH pretreatment is effective for textile functionalization.
• These findings support the application of treated textiles in demanding environments like hospitals.