Pilot-scale production of highly durable bioactive and UV-protective cotton fabric by electroless deposition of copper on cotton fabric

Abstract Surface metallization of textiles through electroless deposition to develop multifunctional textiles has become an active area of research lately. However, little attention has been paid on the development of durable bioactive textiles as well as the scalability of electroless deposition process. In the current study, the pilot-scale production of highly durable bioactive textiles through electroless deposition of copper on cotton fabric has been achieved. For this, the surface of cotton fabric was first sensitized with stannous chloride (SnCl2) followed by activation with silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution. Then, the electroless deposition of copper was achieved on sensitized and activated cotton fabric. FTIR, SEM, EDS, and ICP-OES spectroscopic techniques were employed to validate the successful development of electroless plated copper fabric. The antimicrobial potential of developed fabric (before and after 30 industrial washes) towards bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli), virus (dengue virus) and fungi (A. Niger) was also evaluated. The prepared samples exhibited remarkable antimicrobial potential with excellent washing durability. The antimicrobial activity was retained with the same effectiveness even after 30 industrial washings (more than 100 home launderings). Moreover, the developed samples showed excellent protection against harmful UV-radiations i.e., + 50 UPF. The current research has established a facile, cost-effective, non-toxic, and scalable process for the production of exceptionally durable bioactive textiles and it can be easily implemented at industrial scale.