Fabrication of Stable Fluorine-Free Hydrophobic Cotton Fabrics with Prominent Antibacterial Property

Multifunctional cotton fabrics with antibacterial property and hydrophobicity were prepared using surface modification. Cotton fabrics were treated with the coating solution containing N-halamine compound poly[5,5-dimethyl-3-(3’-triethoxysilylpropyl) hydantoin] (PSPH) and TiO₂ nanoparticles, followed by treated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to reduce the surface energy of cotton fabrics. The prepared cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). After chlorination, the prepared cotton fabrics exhibited excellent hydrophobicity with contact angle of 143°. The antibacterial results demonstrated that the prepared cotton fabrics had excellent antibacterial activity and could completely inactivate 4.54 cfu/sample of S.aureus and 4.92 cfu/sample of E. coli O157:H7 within 30 min of contact. The treated cotton fabrics also possessed robust stability under washing, UV light irradiation, and abrasion. Moreover, the breaking strength and air permeability of cotton fabric could maintain to the required values for practical application after treatment.