Development of antimicrobial cotton fabrics by decoration with silver nanoparticles and activated carbon composite

Abstract

Nanometer sized particulates demonstrate significant potential in various biomedical applications due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and exceptional physicochemical, electronic and mechanical properties. Additionally, the number of microbial infectious disease outbreaks has increased tremendously over the past decade, greatly impacting public health worldwide. In this article, we evaluate the antimicrobial activity of a cotton fabric (CF) impregnated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and hemp hurd activated carbon (HHAC) (HHAC@AgNPs) composite (CF-HHAC@AgNPs). Field emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction spectra of the CF-HHAC@AgNPs material revealed the presence of AgNPs and HHAC on the cotton fabric. Moreover, CF-HHAC@AgNPs shows excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The obtained results show that an HHAC@AgNPs-CF material can be prepared. It has an antimicrobial activity that suggests its potential as an inhibitory agent in various biomedical applications.

Keywords

• silver nanoparticles
• activated carbon
• cotton fabrics
• antimicrobial property