Development of durable antimicrobial fabrics using green synthesized nanoparticles

Abstract

Textiles are the most widely used material in everyday life but most importantly, the textiles which we are using provide an optimum environment for microorganisms to grow because of their large surface area and ability to retain its moisture. As a result, this will lead to intolerable smell, loss of fabric properties, allergic reactions and other skin related diseases. Several chemical disinfectants were coated on textile fabrics to inhibit the growth of the harmful microorganisms. However, these agents have become bacterial resistant and bacterial resistance is the global challenge faced by researchers. Also, the use of chemical disinfectants can lead to adverse side effects due to the prolonged exposure of chemicals to humans. Recently, the nanotechnology has gained a lot of attention in the textile industry as it produces smart textiles such as self-cleaning, anti-wrinkle, anti-static and antibacterial fabrics. The metal and metal oxide nanoparticles have found to possess strong antimicrobial properties due to their unique properties at the nano scale size compared to their bulk counterparts. However, the major disadvantage of nanoparticles is the use of harsh chemicals to synthesize the nanoparticles that can lead to adverse side effects when exposed to the public. Also, the release of nanoparticles from the fabrics during washing contaminates the land and water bodies and has become a threat to the environment. This thesis studies the preparation of nanoparticles through green chemistry using plant extracts and uses related nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents. Synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts is a simple, versatile and eco-friendly process. Moreover, the variation in the solvents for the extraction of plants influence the morphology and size control was precise by this method while comparing other techniques that employs toxic chemicals and high cost instrument for the synthesis process newline