Fabrication of Antibacterial and Ultraviolet Protective Wool Fabric Using Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes...

Wool textiles with multifunctional properties such as self-cleaning, antibacterial, electrical conductivity, UV blocking etc. have recently attracted interest. Among the materials employed towards their development, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely investigated due to their unique chemical, mechanical and electrical properties, exhibiting also notable UV-blocking properties. However, their limited dispersibility in solvents, particularly in water, has hindered their extensive industrial application and diminished their significant potential. In this work, two guanidinylated derivatives of hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (GPEI5k and PEI 25K) functionalized oxCNTs (oxCNTs@GPEI5K and oxCNTs@GPEI5K), with exceptional aqueous compatibility and colloidal stability, developed in our recent publication, were evaluated as to their antibacterial activity on Gram (-) Escherichia coli and Gram (+) Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and their cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, and the most promising, i.e., oxCNTs@GPEI5K, was subsequently used as finishing agent of wool fabric. The resulting wool textiles were evaluated for color, wash fastness, antibacterial properties, and UV-blocking performance. The GPEI-functionalized oxCNTs derivative, exhibited uniform distribution and good adhesion onto the wool fabrics yielding multifunctional wool fabrics with sustained antibacterial properties even after multiple washing cycles. Additionally, the modified textiles exhibited improved ultraviolet protection, highlighting their potential for multifunctional applications in antibacterial and UV-shielding textiles.