Incorporação otimizada de nanopartículas de prata sobre tecido de algodão usando recobrimento de k-carragena para obtenção de propriedades antibacterianas aprimoradas

Abstract

The incorporation of antibacterial properties into textiles is a widely sought-after aspect, and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be used for this. Here, we evaluate a strategy for incorporating AgNPs into a cotton fabric. For this purpose, a antibacterial textile coating based on a composite of AgNPs and kappa-carrageenan (k-CA) was proposed. A film of the composite for textile coating was obtained by heating the silver precursor (AgNO3) directly in k-CA solution for green synthesis and in situ AgNPs stabilization. Cotton substrates were added to the heated composite solution for surface impregnation and hydrogel film formation after cooling. Direct synthesis of AgNPs on a fabric was also tested. The results showed that the application of a coating based on k-CA/AgNPs composite can achieve more than twice the silver loading on the fabric surface compared to the textile subjected to direct AgNPs incorporation. Furthermore, silver release tests in water showed that higher Ag+ levels were achieved for cotton coated with k-CA/AgNPs. Similarly, inoculation tests with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (SA) using the agar diffusion method showed that materials covered with the composite resulted in significantly higher inhibition halos. This indicated that the use of the composite as a coating for cotton fabric improved its antimicrobial activity against SA.