One-step side-by-side electrospraying of Janus particles for durable multifunctional coatings on cotton textiles

Abstract

The demand for textiles with multifunctional properties—such as antimicrobial activity, UV protection, and hydrophobicity—is rapidly increasing, particularly in medical protective gear and outdoor sportswear. However, securely affixing functional agents, such as nanoparticles, onto fabric substrates remains a challenge, as traditional methods often compromise the fabric’s intrinsic qualities or require complex, time-intensive procedures. Inspired by natural asymmetry observed in bacterial S-layers and octopus suckers, this study introduces a one-step side-by-side electrospraying technique to fabricate Janus particles with bifacial structures. These particles combine polycaprolactone (PCL) loaded with ciprofloxacin (CIP) for sustained antibacterial activity and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) embedded with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) for UV shielding and adhesion. Mimicking this bioinspired asymmetry, the Janus particles achieve optimized environmental interaction on one side and stable adhesion on the other. This innovative approach directly deposits Janus particles onto cotton fabrics, achieving an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) increase from 11.52 to 78.18, a water contact angle of 136.5°, and a 99 % reduction in bacterial colonies of E. coli and S. aureus. Remarkably, antibacterial efficacy was maintained after 10 washing cycles, demonstrating durability. This bioinspired strategy establishes side-by-side electrospraying as a scalable and efficient method for developing multifunctional textiles with applications in protection and bio-contamination resistance.