The Antibacterial and Antifungal Textile Properties Functionalized by Bimetallic Nanoparticles of Ag/Cu with Different Structures

Abstract

We reported a preparation and characterization of five kinds of impregnation solutions, containing Ag/Cu in the form of bimetallic nanoparticles (alloy and core-shell) as well as ionic species. The cotton-polyester textiles were successfully impregnated during the washing and ironing process by as-prepared solutions to have antibacterial and antifungal properties against toEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus,andCandida albicans. Moreover, we have reported the effect of type of the fabric used and number of washing/impregnation cycles (in a laboratory scale) on the bactericidal and fungicidal activity of obtained textiles. The results indicated that all tested samples after 5, 10, 15, and 20 washing/impregnated cycles exhibited an antimicrobial activity. The antifungal tests showed that only textile impregnated with solutions containing Ag+/Cu2+and Ag NPs/Cu2+exhibited a strong inhibition of fungi growth of the after 5 (99.99%) and 15 (100%) washing/impregnation cycles, respectively.