Preparation of antibacterial and hydrophobic cotton fabrics with nanosilver-attached SiO₂ particles

The preparation of antibacterial cotton fabrics is crucial for preventing bacterial infections. This study demonstrates a novel textile finishing strategy that uniquely combines Ag@SiO₂ nanoparticles with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) modification to simultaneously confer antimicrobial property and hydrophobicity to cotton fabric with long-term stability. Ag@SiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized with stannous chloride (SnCl₂) as the reducing agent, followed by cotton fabric modification with both HDTMS and Ag@SiO₂ nanoparticles. This resulting Cot/Ag@SiO₂ fabric exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, achieving >99.99% bacterial reduction that remained stable above 99% after 50 wash cycles. HDTMS modification endowed the fabric with superior hydrophobic properties (water contact angle of 145.5°), significantly reducing bacterial adhesion by 67.1% (E. coli) and 78.5% (S. aureus) while demonstrating excellent anti-biofilm activity. The cytotoxicity assay results demonstrated that the fabrics exhibited minimal cytotoxicity, with cell viability exceeding 90.6%. This study provides a new route for the finishing of cotton fabrics with AgNPs, contributing to the development of effective antibacterial cotton fabrics.