Nanosilver Enabled Reactive Dyes for Antimicrobial Medical Textiles

The present study describes the preparation technique for silver nanoparticles incorporated fabrics for enhanced antimicrobial property to be used in textile applications. The silver nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of AgNO3 using non-toxic reducing agent under moderate conditions and the stable Ag colloidal solutions were obtained using poly vinyl alcohol. The particle size distribution of silver nanoparticles was found to be in the range from 20 to 50 nm with spherical morphology while observed from transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The characterized colloidal silver nanoparticles were mixed with reactive dye namely Red brown ME RL, and made dyeing on cotton fabrics. The concentration of silver nanoparticles in the reactive dyes was observed to be varied in the mol percentage of 3, 5, 7, and 10 respectively. The characterization results of the prepared colloidal Ag nanoparticles with reactive dye, pre-treated and post-treated fabrics evidenced the presence of silver nanoparticles in the silver treated fabrics with enhanced fastness and light washing properties. The enhanced antimicrobial activity of the silver nanoparticles dyed cotton fabrics was evident against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Klebisiella pneumoniae) bacteria. Thus, this study aids in the development of antimicrobial textile applications using silver nanoparticles.