In Situ Growth of ZnO Nanostructures on Cotton Fabric by Solochemical Process for Antibacterial Purposes

A practical and economical method was developed for the production of an antibacterial cotton fabric using zinc oxide nanostructures without the use of surface modifying agents. In this process, zinc nitrate hexahydrate and potassium hydroxide were used as starting materials and the reaction was performed at 50 degrees C. The in situ growth of ZnO nanostructures on cotton fabric occurred in a single-stage process, and it started when the fabric samples were dipped for 1 min in the solution containing all the starting materials. The treated and untreated fabric samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and EDS. The cotton fabrics coated with ZnO nanostructures presented an antibacterial efficiency towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a gram-positive bacteria.