FUNCTIONALISATION OF POLYCOTTON FABRIC WITH HYDROTHERMALLY SYNTHESIZED ZnO NANOPARTICLES

Functional property of the inorganic materials are drawing increasing attention in the textile application. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method using zinc nitrate as precursor and Cetyl Trimethyl bromide as surfactant. The nanoparticles were characterized by Dynamic light scattering, Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Diffused reflectance spectroscopy. Then the ZnO nanoparticles were treated on polycotton fabric by pad dry cure method. The treated fabrics were assessed for microbial resistance against bacteria (E.coli, S.aureus) and fungi (A.niger, C.albicans) by qualitative method. The wash durability of the treated samples were tested using AATCC100 method and the fabric showed antibacterial activity even after 30 washes.