Effect of Onion (Allium cepa L.) Peel Extract-based Nanoemulsion on Anti-microbial and UPF Properties of Cotton and Cotton Blended Fabrics

Abstract

The new technologies and materials necessary for the development of antibacterial fabrics have been of great interest to researchers in recent years. This study focuses on the investigation of the natural waste product such as onion peel-based nanoemulsion for dyeing of cotton and cotton blended fabric samples. 100% cotton and polyester/cotton fabrics have been dyed with two different concentrations (5% and 10%) of onion peel (OP) extract-based nanoemulsion (NE). Antibacterial activity of dyed samples has been tested against both the Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria. Among all the fabric samples, the 100% cotton fabric dyed with 10% onion peel-based nanoemulsion (OP-NE) registers the highest antibacterial activity of 75 and 57% against S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. However, the antibacterial effectiveness remained substantial at 38 and 31%, respectively, even after 25 home laundry washes. The test specimens have been further tested for their color strength, ultra-violet protection factor (UPF), tensile, and tear strength properties to evaluate the change in their physical properties.

Keywords

• onion peel-based nano emulsion (op-ne)
• antimicrobial activity
• ultra-violet protection factor
• color strength
• ftir spectroscopy
• tensile strength and tear strength