Study on the Hydrophobicity and Antibacterial Activity of Silica Sol-Chitosan-HDTMS Treated Cotton Fabric Dipped in an Aquas Media

A hydrophobic surface with an antibacterial property has numerous uses, including self-cleaning, anti-sticking, anti-contamination, sports apparel, and wound healing/implant materials. The durability of the coating in an aquas media (pH 7.4) is a vital requirement for use in technical textile sectors, particularly in medical applications. In this study, we used silica sol, chitosan and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) to create exceptionally hydrophobic surfaces with antibacterial properties on cotton fabrics. First, cotton fabric was treated with silica sol, which was produced by the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in an alkaline environment. After that, chitosan was applied on the silica sol-treated fabric to add an antibacterial characteristic. The silica sol-chitosan-treated fabric was then given a hydrolysed HDTMS treatment to give a highly hydrophobic property. The hydrophobicity was assessed by measuring the water contact angle, while the AATCC-147 test protocol was used to assess the antibacterial property. The developed fabric exhibited a strong hydrophobic property. The fabric samples were immersed in an aquas media for 30 days to assess the coating durability by observing changes in hydrophobicity and anti-bacterial activity in terms of the zone of inhibition (ZOI). After 30 days of immersion in the aquas media, it was observed that the contact angle decreased from 151.7° to 129.5°, and the ZOI increased from 1 mm to 5 mm, which indicates an increase in anti-bacterial activity in relation to time of immersion. The wicking characteristics of coated and uncoated fabrics were also measured to determine how coating affects the wicking behaviour of fabric. EDS was performed to observe the coating stability for coated-dipped fabric samples after 30 days. SEM analysis was performed to examine the surface morphology, while FTIR was used to determine the surface functional groups after coating and changes after dipping in the aquas media. The developed hydrophobic cotton fabrics with anti-bacterial properties may help in the fabrication of natural biomaterials and other technical textile products.