Synthesis of sericin-based antibacterial material and its application for durable antibacterial silk fabric

The extensive use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, thereby creating an urgent demand for novel antimicrobial agents. Bio-based cationic antibacterial materials have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics due to their rapid bactericidal action and broad-spectrum efficacy against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, a dual-functionalized sericin-based antibacterial material (ChCl-GA-SS) was synthesized through the sequential grafting of choline chloride and guanidinoacetic acid onto the sericin backbone, followed by immobilization onto silk fabric. The successful modification of sericin was confirmed using FTIR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic analyses. Importantly, the modified silk fabric demonstrated a bacterial reduction rate exceeding 99.99% against E. coli and S. aureus, while maintaining high efficacy after 20 washing cycles and 50 rubbing cycles. Moreover, the treatment preserved the intrinsic properties of silk and demonstrated good cytocompatibility. This approach demonstrates a durable strategy for producing sericin-based cationic antibacterial materials for textile applications and highlights the potential for value-added utilization of sericin.